life of Mahavira

Introduction Mahavira, traditionally dated to 599 – 527 BCE, was the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara (spiritual teacher and “ford-maker”) of Jainism in the current cosmic age. Born as Vardhamana into a royal family, he renounced his worldly life at the age of thirty to pursue spiritual enlightenment. After twelve years of rigorous asceticism and meditation,