Lumpaka

Jain sect

Also known as: Lonka

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June 30, 2026

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The Lumpaka, also known as the Lonka Gaccha, is a sect within Jainism that emerged in the mid-15th century. This group, founded by the layman Lonka Shah, distinguished itself by rejecting image worship, a practice common among other Jain communities. The Lumpaka's stance was based on the belief that the Jain canon does not support the worship of idols.12

This non-image-worshipping tradition later evolved into the Sthanakavasi sect in the 17th century. The Sthanakavasi, meaning "dwellers in a house," perform their religious duties in meetinghouses rather than temples.2

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Jainism
Late medieval–early modern developments (1100–1800)
…practice of image worship, the Lumpaka, or Lonka Gaccha, did not. Founded by the mid-15th-century layman Lonka Shah, the Lonka Gaccha denied the scriptural warranty of image worship and in the 17th century emerged as the non-image-worshipping Sthanakavasi sect. At the end of the 18th century, the Sthanakavasi underwent a…
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…practice of image worship, the Lumpaka, or Lonka Gaccha, did not. Founded by the mid-15th-century layman Lonka Shah, the Lonka Gaccha denied the scriptural warranty of image worship and in the 17th century emerged as the non-image-worshipping Sthanakavasi sect. At the end of the 18th century, the Sthanakavasi underwent a…
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Sthanakavasi
…earlier non-image-worshipping sect called the Lumpaka, or Lonka Gaccha. Both groups based their belief on the argument that the Jain canon makes no mention of idol worship. The Sthanakavasis themselves gave rise to another group, the Terapanthi (“those who follow the path of the 13 precepts”), founded by Acharya Bhikshu…
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…earlier non-image-worshipping sect called the Lumpaka, or Lonka Gaccha. Both groups based their belief on the argument that the Jain canon makes no mention of idol worship. The Sthanakavasis themselves gave rise to another group, the Terapanthi (“those who follow the path of the 13 precepts”), founded by Acharya Bhikshu…
Read More