How did the Digambara and Shvetambara sects develop?

The origins of the Digambara and Shvetambara sects within Jainism are historically obscure, as early accounts are often partisan and written long after the events.1

While some traditions date the schism to the 4th century BCE—attributing it to a migration led by Bhadrabahu to escape famine, where he insisted on nudity while those remaining in the north under Sthulabhadra adopted white garments—scholars generally view the division as a gradual development. By the 1st century CE, debates regarding whether a monk could achieve moksha while owning property, such as clothing, intensified the divide.1

The separation was likely formalized during the Council of Valabhi in the 5th century CE. This council codified the Shvetambara canon, which the Digambaras reject, believing their own early scriptures were lost. Over time, the two sects developed distinct differences in ritual, mythology, and doctrine, such as the Digambara belief that women must be reborn as men to attain spiritual release and that the perfect saint requires no food.21