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.
His five vows — ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, 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 — recalling the gods bathing the newborn on Meru.
Ahimsa in action
Charity, visits to gaushalas, and a vegetarian table — the teaching practised, not only 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 not as a founder but the last of twenty-four Tirthankaras.
It is a public holiday across much of India — kept by Jains, honoured by neighbours.