Bhagwan Mahavir
Mahavir Jayanti
Birth of the 24th Tirthankara, the great teacher of ahimsa.
Tithi: Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi
In the simplest words
Birthday of Bhagwan Mahavir, the great teacher of the Jain path, who taught that not hurting anyone, in deed or even word, is the highest strength.
The story & purpose
Vardhamana Mahavira was born a prince at Kshatriyakund in the sixth century BCE, and at thirty walked out of the palace to seek truth by renunciation. After years of austerity he attained kevala jnana, complete knowledge, and taught for decades as the twenty-fourth and final Tirthankara of this era.
The rest of the story
His five vows, ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya and aparigraha, became the spine of Jain life, and his ahimsa the widest of all: harm nothing, for every being carries a soul of the same worth. Gandhi named Jain ahimsa among his deepest influences.
What is done
Rath yatra & darshan
The Tirthankara's image processes through the streets; temples hold special darshan.
Abhisheka
The image is ceremonially bathed, as the gods bathed the newborn on Meru.
Ahimsa in action
Charity, visits to gaushalas, and a vegetarian table: the teaching practised as well as praised.
Best timings
Processions and temple programmes run through the morning and afternoon.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition; for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
Mahavira and the Buddha were near-contemporaries in the same Gangetic world.
Jain tradition counts him as the last of twenty-four Tirthankaras rather than a founder.
It is a public holiday across much of India, kept by Jains and honoured by neighbours.