Date
Mahavir Jayanti 2017 to be celebrated on April 9th, Sunday.
Trayodashi Date Starts = 09:00 am on 8-Apr-2017
Trayodashi Date Ends = 09:29 am on 9-Apr-2017
This is the 2615th Birth Anniversary of Mahavir Swami.
History
Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated widely every year by the Jainis and other religious people to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the great sage. He was the last and 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. He was also the founder of Jainism and its core principles. Since he was born in Shukla Paksha on 13th day of Chaitra month during 540 BCE at Kundalagrama, his birthday is celebrated every year on April 13 with great joy and enthusiasm. It is among the most ritual and significant celebration for Jain. It has been announced as a public holiday across India when all educational institutions and banks are closed.
Celebrations
It is also celebrated by the Jainis as “Mahavir Janma Kalyanak” to commemorate the birth of last Tirthankara. It falls every year in April month of Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated at Jain temples with a lot of fervor across the nation. All the temples and holy places devoted to Mahavir are decorated with flags, flowers etc. to celebrate this occasion. The idol of Lord Mahavir gets ritual bath before Puja and celebration after a grand procession.
Clothes, food, money and other belongings are traditionally distributed to the poor and needy, by the Jain organizations. Several large events are organized well at Jain shrines, such as Palitana and Gimar in Gujarat, Parasnath Temple in Kolkata, Sri Mahavirji in Rajasthan and Pawapuri Bihar. The people offer holy bath to the Mahavir’s idol. The Jains are involved in charitable act this day. Devotees flock to Jain temples for prayers.
About Lord Mahavir
Mahavir was born to a royal family based in the state of Bihar. After his birth, he is named as Vardhman. He was born to Queen Trishala and King Siddhartha. His mother got a lot of holy dreams on him at the time of his birth that he would be the Tirthankara or emperor. He got the ritual bath of celestial milk by Indra.
When he turned 30 years old, he left his home to perform deep meditation for up to 12 years to search for spiritual awakening and he successfully achieved enlightenment (Kevala Jnana). He traveled across the country for up to 30 years to spread the knowledge of Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Aparigraha and Brahmacharya. When he turned 72 years old, he died and attained nirvana and became the last Tirthankara of the religion and founded Jainism.
His Past Life
There are a lot of confusions about his birthplace. Some say it was Vaishali, some say Kundigram, Kamui, Kundalpur, Nalanda, Lachhuar or Bosokund. But the exact place is still unknown. Mahavir refers “Great Warrior”. He got this name as he got a toxic serpent under control in childhood. There are also a lot of myths about his marriage. Some say Yashoda was his wife and daughter Priya darshana. When he left home for meditation, he faced a lot of distress and hardships. He got enlightenment with power, perception, bliss and knowledge.
