Mahaviras

Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana Mahavira, was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Traditionally dated to the 6th century BCE in northern India, he is regarded as a major reformer and spiritual teacher whose life defined Jain practice. Born into the Śakya (Shakya) or Kshatriya clan in Kundagrama near Vaishali, he was the son of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. At the age of 30, he renounced his royal life and embarked on a life of renunciation and asceticism. After twelve years of intense meditation and fasting, he attained kevala jnana (omniscience) and became a Tirthankara, a ford-maker for spiritual awakening.

Mahavira taught a path of non-violence toward all living beings and strict ethical conduct. Central Jain doctrines include ahimsa (non-violence), anekantavada (many-sided reality), and aparigraha (non-attachment). The five great vows (mahavratas) for monks are non-violence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possessiveness; lay followers observe a subset of these as five Anuvratas. His teachings emphasized karma, moral discipline, and liberation (moksha) from cycles of rebirth.

His sermons were collected by his chief disciples, the Ganadharas, and later organized into Jain scriptures. After a long preaching career across northern India, he attained nirvana at Pavapuri in present-day Bihar. His legacy shaped Jain monastic order, art, and ritual, and his life remains a central model for Jain ethics. Traditional Jain calendars celebrate his life and teachings, which underpin sects such as the Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions.