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Historical Figure

Mahavira

Also Known As Vardhamana · Nayaputta
Religious and Spiritual Leaders

Mahavira (traditionally dated to the 6th century BCE, with some scholars placing him in the 5th century BCE) was an Indian spiritual teacher who is revered as the twenty-fourth and final Tirthankara of Jainism in the current cosmic cycle. Born into a royal family in what is now Bihar, he renounced his princely life around age thirty to pursue an ascetic path, ultimately attaining enlightenment after years of rigorous austerity and meditation. His teachings emphasized nonviolence, truthfulness, non-attachment and self-discipline as the path to spiritual liberation, and the monastic and lay community he organized became the foundation of the Jain religious tradition that continues to this day.

Facts
Death Year
510 BCE 1Tradition: Digambara
Negative value records 510 BCE per this atlass BCE-year convention (Digambara traditional dating).
Death Year
527 BCE 1Tradition: Svetambara
Negative value records 527 BCE per this atlass BCE-year convention (Svetambara traditional dating).
Role
Indian religious reformer and spiritual leader, considered by Jains to be the 24th and final Tirthankara 1
Birthplace
Kshatriyakund / Kundagrama, Naya Republic, Vajjika League (near present-day Vaishali, Bihar, India) 1
Death Place
Pawapuri, Magadha, Haryanka Empire (present-day Nalanda district, Bihar, India) 1
Disputed
Birth Year
599 BCE 1
Negative value records 599 BCE per this atlass BCE-year convention (traditional dating); historians are uncertain and place him possibly in the 6th or early 5th century BCE.
Classification
Gender
Male 1
Role
Role (category)
Religious Figure 1
FAQs

Did Mahavira found Jainism?

Jain tradition says no: he was the 24th Tirthankara, who inherited the teaching from earlier ones.

It depends on whom you ask. The World History Encyclopedia describes Mahavira as the sage credited with founding Jainism. According to Jain tradition, however, he is not the founder of the religion but the 24th Tirthankara, or ford builder, who inherited the vision from his predecessors and established it in its present form.
Connections

In Era

Classical Antiquity, Eras
Source Wikipedia: Mahavira
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

Asia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Mahavira
Wikipedia
  • Infobox, Born field
    Born Vardhamana c. 599 BCE (traditional) uncertain, possibly c. 6th or early 5th century BCE (historical)
  • Infobox, Birthplace field
    Kshatriyakund / Kundagrama, Naya Republic, Vajjika League (near present-day Vaishali, Bihar, India)
  • Infobox, Died/Nirvana field
    Pawapuri, Magadha, Haryanka Empire (present-day Nalanda district, Bihar, India)
  • Lead paragraph
    also known by his birth name Vardhamana
  • Body text, epithets note
    Nayaputta, Muni, Samana, Nigantha, Bamana, and Bhagavan
  • Mahavira: Gender
    Mahavira (traditionally dated to the 6th century BCE, with some scholars placing him in the 5th century BCE) was an Indian spiritual teacher who is revered as the twenty-fourth and final Tirthankara of Jainism in the current cosmic cycle.
  • Wikipedia biography, role/occupation stated in lead section (w-bbfill-history3-0927)
  • In Era: Classical Antiquity, lead paragraph, lifespan
    Infobox: born c. 599 BCE (traditional); died 527 BCE (Śvetāmbara trad. dating), 510 BCE (Digambara trad. dating)
View the Source

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