24 Tirthankars
No. | Name | Father | Mother | Dynasty | Place of Birth | Place of Moksha | Symbol | Timeline as per scholars | Remarks |
1 | Rishabhanatha | Nabhiraja | Marudevi | Ikshvaku | Ayodhya | Mount Ashtapada | Bull | 10,000 BCE – 5,000 BCE | Possible link to Indus Valley Civilization |
2 | Ajitanatha | Jitashatru | Vijaya | Ikshvaku | Ayodhya | Sammed Shikharji | Elephant | 8,000 BCE – 5,000 BCE | Pre Vedic Era Estimate |
3 | Sambhavanatha | Jitari | Senadevi | Ikshvaku | Shravasti | Sammed Shikharji | Horse | 7,000 BCE – 5,000 BCE | |
4 | Abhinandananatha | Samvara | Siddhartha | Ikshvaku | Ayodhya | Sammed Shikharji | Monkey | 6,000 BCE – 4,000 BCE | |
5 | Sumatinatha | Megha | Mangala | Ikshvaku | Ayodhya | Sammed Shikharji | Cuckoo | 6,000 BCE – 4,000 BCE | |
6 | Padmaprabha | Dhara | Susima | Ikshvaku | Kausambi | Sammed Shikharji | Red Lotus | 5,500 BCE – 3,500 BCE | |
7 | Suparshvanatha | Pratishtha | Prithvi | Ikshvaku | Varanasi | Sammed Shikharji | Swastika | 5,000 BCE – 3,000 BCE | |
8 | Chandraprabha | Mahasena | Lakshmana | Ikshvaku | Chandrapuri | Sammed Shikharji | Crescent Moon | 4,500 BCE – 3,000 BCE | |
9 | Pushpadanta (Suvidhinatha) | Sugriva | Rama | Ikshvaku | Kakandi | Sammed Shikharji | Crocodile | 4,000 BCE – 3,000 BCE | |
10 | Shitalanatha | Dridharatha | Sunanda | Ikshvaku | Bhadrikapuri | Sammed Shikharji | Srivatsa | 3,500 BCE – 2,500 BCE | |
11 | Shreyansanatha | Vishnu | Vishnu Devi | Ikshvaku | Simhapuri | Sammed Shikharji | Rhinoceros | 3,000 BCE – 2,000 BCE | |
12 | Vasupujya | Vasupujya | Jaya Devi | Vasudeva | Champapuri | Champapuri | Buffalo | 2,800 BCE – 1,800 BCE | |
13 | Vimalanatha | Kratvarma | Shyama | Ikshvaku | Kampilya | Sammed Shikharji | Boar | 2,500 BCE – 1,500 BCE | |
14 | Anantanatha | Simhasena | Suyasha | Ikshvaku | Ayodhya | Sammed Shikharji | Falcon | 2,000 BCE – 1,500 BCE | |
15 | Dharmanatha | Bhanu | Suvrata | Ikshvaku | Ratnapuri | Sammed Shikharji | Vajra | 2,000 BCE – 1,200 BCE | |
16 | Shantinatha | Viswasena | Achira | Ikshvaku | Hastinapur | Sammed Shikharji | Deer | 1,800 BCE – 1,000 BCE | |
17 | Kunthunatha | Surya | Shree Devi | Ikshvaku | Hastinapur | Sammed Shikharji | Goat | 1,500 BCE – 900 BCE | |
18 | Aranatha | Sudarshana | Devi | Ikshvaku | Hastinapur | Sammed Shikharji | Swastika | 1,200 BCE – 800 BCE | |
19 | Mallinatha | Kumbha | Prabhavati | Ikshvaku | Mithila | Sammed Shikharji | Kalasha | 1,000 BCE – 800 BCE | |
20 | Munisuvrata | Sumitra | Padmavati | Harivamsa | Rajagriha | Sammed Shikharji | Tortoise | 900 BCE – 700 BCE | Likely contemporary of Lord Rama |
21 | Naminatha | Vijay | Vapra Devi | Ikshvaku | Mithila | Sammed Shikharji | Blue Lotus | 800 BCE – 600 BCE | |
22 | Neminatha | Samudravijaya | Shivadevi | Yadava | Sauripura (Dwarka) | Girnar Hills | Conch Shell | c. 1,000 BCE | Possible link to Lord Krishna’s era in Yadava dynasty |
23 | Parshvanatha | Ashvasena | Vama Devi | Ikshvaku | Varanasi | Sammed Shikharji | Snake | 872 BCE – 772 BCE | First historically accepted Tirthankar |
24 | Mahavira | Siddhartha | Trishala | Ikshvaku | Kundagrama (Vaishali) | Pawapuri | Lion | 599 BCE – 527 BCE | Most historically verified Tirthankar, contemporary of Buddha |
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Most Tirthankars (20 out of 24) belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty.
- Vasupujya (12th Tirthankar) belonged to the Vasudeva clan.
- Munisuvrata (20th Tirthankar) belonged to the Harivamsa dynasty.
- Neminatha (22nd Tirthankar) was from the Yadava dynasty.
- Parshvanatha (23rd Tirthankar) and Mahavira (24th Tirthankar) are the most historically acknowledged Tirthankars.
Jain Traditional Timeline
According to Jain cosmology:
- The 24 Tirthankars lived in the current cosmic cycle (Avasarpini), a period lasting millions of years.
- The first Tirthankar, Rishabhanatha, lived millions of years ago, with an incredibly long lifespan.
- Over time, lifespans and human height decreased, leading to the later Tirthankars having shorter life spans.