Chaturtha Jain Vaishya - चतुर्थ जैन वैश्य

Chaturtha चतुर्थ is the biggest community (endogamous group) of Digambara Jains. According to the Digambar Jain Directory of 1914, at that time they outnumbered Agrawals and Khandelwals.

The name Chaturth derives from Kshatraru, the Kannada word for Sankrit Kshatriy.

Chaturthas are spread all over southern and western Maharashtra and northernKarnataka.

Chaturths are bilinguals, originally Kannada speakers, but now speak both Kannada and Marathi at homes.

Maharashtra has the largest population of Jains of any single state in India.

Agriculture was traditionally the primary occupation among Chaturthas, but the increase in education has allowed them to branch out into fields such as teaching, medicine, business, industries, government and private services. Some of them have been Kasar.

Bhattarka Jinasena of the Kolhapur Jain Math has traditionally served as the religious authority among the Chaturthas.

Distinguished Chaturthas

Dhulappa Bhaurao Navale Founder of Shetkari Sahakari Sakar Karkhana Sangli. He gave the name to Sangli sugar factory,as Shetkari. He was MLC from 1962 to 1971 from Satara & Sangli Dist.In 1937 Local Board elections he with his friends Gaurihar Sihasane & Sakharam Retharekar were congress candidates.All the three were elected from Satara Dist.against Kooper party supported by British.They had started the Congress party campaign from Ankalkhop-Audumber. Since then there is a tradition of Sangli Dist. Congress party to start its campaign from Audumber-Ankalkhop. He was the first individual Satyaghari of Mahatma Gandhi from Satara District (in which Sangli Dist. was also included).He made his satyagraha in Bhilawadi in 1940. He was arrested & was sent to Yerawada jail.He was very close friend of Late Yeshwantrao B.Chavan & Vasantrao(Dada)Banduji Patil. He made the historic (Preeti Sangam) union of his both friends Mr.Y.B.Chavan Vasantdada Patil in his native village Ankalkhop on 24 May 1982.He was a great freedom fighter  was jailed twice by Britishers.He participated in Tasgaon Satyagraha,Bilashi satyagraha etc.He was a founder & was a prominent leader in several co-operative organizations & educational institutions in Sangli District.He died on 30 Sept.1988. 

Acharya Shantisagar 

Karmveer Bhaurao Patil Founder of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, Asia's biggest educational institution. 

Acharya Deshbhushan 

Acharya Vidyasagar 

Raju Shetty Leader of cultivators, Member of Parliament elected in 2009 

Rajmati Birnale Freedom Fighter 

Appa Bhau Magdum Noted Marathi writer, poet, Publisher and social reformer 

Tatya Keshav ChopadeWriter 

Anna Bhau Magdum Mathematician and educationalist 

Bapusaheb Patil Industrialist 

Justice Bhalchandra Vagyani 

Dr. Bhuvanendra Kumar Scholar of Jainology 

Mahavir Sanglikar Activist, Thinker 

Harshit Abhiraj Musician, Singer, film maker 

Religious organizations

Main article: Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha

The Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha is a religious and social service organization of the Jains of South India. The organization is headquartered at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The association is credited with being one of the first Jain associations to start reform movements among the Jains in modern India. The organization mainly seeks to represent the interests of the native Jains of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.