Mahavira Jayanti is the most important religious festival in Jainism, commemorating the birth of Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara of this cosmic cycle. Celebrated in the spring, typically in March or April on the 13th day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra, this sacred day honours a life devoted to spiritual awakening, non-violence, truth, and complete renunciation of the material world. It is both a celebration of divine presence and a call to ethical living.
Mahavira, born as Vardhamana into a royal family in what is now Bihar, India, renounced worldly life at the age of 30 and embarked on a profound path of asceticism, meditation, and inner purification. After 12 years of rigorous spiritual discipline, he attained kevala jnana, or infinite knowledge, becoming a fully enlightened being. For the remaining decades of his life, he travelled barefoot across India, teaching the principles of ahimsa (non-violence), anekantavada (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
On Mahavira Jayanti, Jain temples and homes are adorned with flags, flowers, and lamps. Statues of Mahavira are ceremonially bathed in a sacred ritual called abhisheka, often using water infused with sandalwood, saffron, milk, and rosewater. Devotees engage in prayers, fasting, meditation, and scriptural recitations, particularly from the Agamas, the canonical texts that contain his teachings.
Spiritually, Mahavira Jayanti is a time of reflection and renewal. It encourages practitioners to examine their own conduct, to deepen their commitment to harmlessness and truth, and to seek liberation not through belief alone, but through self-discipline and compassion. Mahavira’s message is intensely practical—teaching that the soul is inherently pure, and that liberation is achieved through ethical refinement and inner stillness.
Philosophically, Mahavira’s emphasis on anekantavada, the principle that truth is complex and multifaceted, offers a vision of humility and openness. It teaches that no single perspective can claim absolute truth, and that understanding arises through dialogue, tolerance, and the recognition of other viewpoints. This Jain principle is not only spiritually insightful, but also deeply relevant to modern ethics and interfaith understanding.
Mahavira Jayanti is also a time for acts of seva, or selfless service. Many Jains use the occasion to release animals, feed the hungry, or donate to charitable causes, embodying Mahavira’s teachings in direct and compassionate action. Children are taught stories from his life, and communities gather in peaceful processions, often carrying images of Mahavira through the streets accompanied by singing and devotional music.
Artistically, Mahavira is often depicted seated in deep meditation, radiant with serenity and detachment. His image is not ornamental, but aspirational—a visual reminder of the stillness and clarity that lie at the heart of spiritual practice. Temples may host lectures, exhibitions, or plays that recount his teachings, offering both reverence and inspiration.
Mahavira Jayanti is ultimately a celebration of liberation through non-violence and inner clarity. It is a day to honour not only a great teacher, but the path he walked—a path open to all who seek truth through simplicity, discipline, and love. Through his life and words, Mahavira reminds us that the soul’s freedom is not found in conquest, but in compassion, and that enlightenment is not distant, but discovered in each moment of ethical choice.
