MAHAVIR JAYANTI
Date : March / April each year
Legends : According to the Digambar school of
Jainism, Lord Mahavir was born in the year 615 BC, but the Swetambaras believe that He was
born in 599 BC. Both sects however agree that he was the son of Siddharth and
Trisala.
Legend has it, that he was conceived by Devananda, wife of a Brahmin named Rishabhdeva.
The gods, ingeniously, transferred the embryo to the womb of Trisala. It is said that the
expectant mother had sixteen auspicious dreams before the child was born (only 14
according to the Swetambaras). Astrologers interpreting these dreams stated that the child
would be either an emperor or a Teerthankar.
Practice : The main Jain festival of the year is Mahavira Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. On this day Jain devotees visit sacred sites and worship the Teerthankars or the religious gurus. The event holds special significance in Gujarat and Rajasthan, due to the ancient shrines at Girnar and Palitana in Gujarat. Mahavira Jayanti is also celebrated at Parasnath temple in Calcutta and at Pawapuri in Bihar.
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