Mahavira Jayanti || 29th March 2018
India, home of many colourful festivals and many traditions which have been in existence for over 2000 years. One of such celebrations is Mahavira Jayanti celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahaveer by Jain followers in India.
Mahavira , also known as Vardhamana was born into a royal family of kshatriya’s(warrior class) in Bihar. At the age of 30 he left his royal heritage and became an ascetic.For the next 12½ years he practiced intense meditation and strict life till he attained kaivalya (supreme knowledge) and from then he was known as Mahavira. At the age of 72 in 486 BC he passed away at Pavapuri near Biharsharif in Bihar.
Though Jainism has its origins from Lord Vrishabhadev (1st Thirthankara) but the Lord Mahavira(24th Thirathankara/last ) is acknowledged as the real founder of Jainism. Jainism have 24 Thrithankara and each one of the in associated with a symbol.
No Thrithankara symbol
| 1 | Rishabhanatha (Adinatha) | Bull |
| 2 | Ajitanatha | Elephant |
| 3 | Sambhavanatha | Horse |
| 4 | Abhinandananatha | Monkey |
| 5 | Sumatinatha | Heron |
| 6 | Padmaprabha | Padma |
| 7 | Suparshvanatha | Swastika |
| 8 | Chandraprabha | Crescent Moon |
| 9 | Pushpadanta (Suvidhinath) | Crocodile or Makara |
| 10 | Shitalanatha | Shrivatsa |
| 11 | Shreyanasanatha | Rhinoceros |
| 12 | Vasupujya | Buffalo |
| 13 | Vimalanatha | Boar |
| 14 | Anantanatha | Porcupine according to the Digambara Falcon according to the Śvētāmbara |
| 15 | Dharmanatha | Vajra |
| 16 | Shantinatha | Antelope or deer |
| 17 | Kunthunatha | Goat |
| 19 | Māllīnātha | Kalasha |
| 20 | Munisuvrata | Tortoise |
| 21 | Naminatha | Blue lotus |
| 22 | Neminatha | Shankha |
| 23 | Parshvanatha | Snake |
| 24 | Mahavira | Lion |
Mahavira Jayanti ---
Mahavira’s birthday according to traditional calendar falls on the thirteenth day of the rising moon in the month of Chaitra .According to Georgian calendar it falls in March or in April and his Birthday is celebrated as Mahavira Jayanti . This day is one of the official Holidays of Indian Government.Celebration and Procession
Mahavira Jayanti Begins with Prabhat Pheri at 5:30 A.M , people take a small detour of their locality singing slogans and bhajans.
Prabhat Pheri is followed by Jinendra Prakshalan and Pujan in which songs are sung in chorus and people show their gratitude towards Mahavira swami for leading us to right path.
After Pujan/worship Shriji Juloos(procession) is taken to the locality. In this processions people carry Idols of Mahavira on their shoulder and take it to locality.A good number of crowd follows this procession and singing of bhajans(spiritual songs) continue for the whole time. The Juloos is welcomed every where in the city and people of every faith participate in it.
Top 5 Places for tourist to visit on Mahavira Jayanti
Ayodhya—Ayodhya is not only the birth place of Lord Rama(a Hindu Deity) , It is also the birth place of 5 thrithankars of Jain’s and The Digambar Jain temple in Raniganj is a good place to have a spiritual experience by sitting near the feet of 21 feet tall Rishabhadev Idol.
Shravan-bel-gola in Karnataka—This is the most visited Jain pilgrimage in india and it is also the most popular among the tourists. This place has a massive black stone, 18 meter tall statue of Gomteshwara . People visit this place every 12 years to perform Mahamastakabhisheka , it is a religious ceremony its better to watch it in person than to just know about it in this blog .
Sonagiri Temples--- It is a group of 84 temples located on the small hills of Sonagiri (known as mountain of gold). It is located in the Datia district of Madhya Pradesh. It is believed to be a place for pence and attain Nirvana( freedom from cycle of rebirths).
Palitana--- This temple is located on Girnar Hills, a group of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat. This Hill range is older than Himalayas and this whole regions is a sacred ground for Hindus as well. Palitana has 3000 ornately carved temples within its complex and the main attraction is the temple built for Lord Neminath.
Ellora Caves--- This complex is a very complexed carved structure in the hills of Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The Ellora Caves are well known for their rock cut architecture. And it is famous for Buddhist, Jain and Hindu monasteries. There are about 34 rock cut temples and caves which can be dated back to 600AD. This place is also one of the 36 UNESCO World heritage sites in India. So make sure to visit them if you get a change to travel to Maharastra.
Make sure to visit these site for a complete spiritual experience in on Mahavira Jayanti of 2018.
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