Lord Mahavira

Mahavira
24th Jain Tirthankara
Statue of Mahavira at Shri Mahavirji, Rajasthan
Other names	Vīr, Ativīr, Vardhamāna, Sanmati, Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta
Venerated in	Jainism
Predecessor	Parshvanatha
Symbol	Lion
Height	7 cubits (10.5 feet)
Age	72 years
Tree	Shala
Complexion	Golden
Personal Information
Born	6th century BCE (historical) c. 599 BCE (traditional) Kundagram, Present-day Vaishali district, Bihar, India
Died	5th century BCE (historical) c. 527 BCE (traditional) Pawapuri, Present-day Bihar, India
Parents	Siddhartha (father) Trishala (mother)

Bhagwan Mahavira (Mahāvīra), also known as Vardhamāna, was the twenty-fourth Tirthankara (ford-maker) of Jainism. In the Jain tradition, it is believed that Bhagwan Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6th century BC into a royal family in what is now Bihar, India. At the age of thirty, abandoning all worldly possessions, he left his home in pursuit of spiritual awakening and became an ascetic. For the next twelve and a half years, Bhagwan Mahavira practiced intense meditation and severe austerities, after which he is believed to have attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). Bhagwan preached for thirty years, and is believed by Jains to have attained Nirvana in the 6th century BC at the age of 72 in the town of Pavapuri in what is now the state of Bihar. Bhagwan Mahavir's body was cremated, with the gods taking his bones to heavens and his ashes being distributed throughout the Ganges region.}}

After Bhagwan gained Kevala Jnana, his holiness taught that the observance of the vows ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity), and aparigraha (non-attachment) is necessary to spiritual liberation. Bhagwan gave the principle of Anekantavada (many-sided reality),Syadvada and Nayavada. The teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir were compiled by Gautama Swami (chief disciple) and were called Jain Agamas. These texts were transmitted through oral tradition by Jain monks, but are believed to have been largely lost by about the 1st century when they were first written down. The surviving versions of the Agamas taught by Mahavira are some of the foundational texts of Jainism.