Festival · 2027
Mahavir Jayanti 2027 — Monday, 19 April 2027
Mahavir Jayanti, which Jains call Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, celebrates the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of the present age in the Jain tradition.
In 2026
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Trayodashi: 30 Mar, 7:10 AM – 31 Mar, 6:56 AM
- Lunar month
- Chaitra
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:12 AM / 6:38 PM
Rule: Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi at sunrise (udaya tithi); if it touches no sunrise, the day it begins. Jain almanacs are the authority and may differ.
In 2027
Monday, 19 April 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Trayodashi: 18 Apr, 7:42 AM – 19 Apr, 6:08 AM
- Lunar month
- Chaitra
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:52 AM / 6:49 PM
Rule: Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi at sunrise (udaya tithi); if it touches no sunrise, the day it begins. Jain almanacs are the authority and may differ.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Mahavir Jayanti?
Mahavir Jayanti is the most widely celebrated festival of the Jain community after the days of Paryushana and Diwali. It falls on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi, the thirteenth day of the bright half of Chaitra. In Jain terms the day is a kalyanak, one of the five auspicious events in the life of a Tirthankara: conception, birth, renunciation, omniscience and final liberation. Mahavir Jayanti is the janma kalyanak, the auspicious birth.
According to Jain tradition, Vardhamana was born at Kundagrama, near Vaishali in present-day Bihar, to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. The Shvetambara scripture Kalpa Sutra tells how his mother saw fourteen auspicious dreams before his birth; the Digambara tradition speaks of sixteen. He was named Vardhamana, “the one who grows”, because the family’s prosperity grew after his conception. At about thirty he left the palace to live as a wandering ascetic, and after some twelve years of austerity and meditation he attained kevala jnana, complete knowledge. He then taught for about thirty years and attained nirvana at Pavapuri, which Jains remember on Diwali.
The two main Jain traditions, Shvetambara and Digambara, share the core of this story and differ in some details, for example on whether Mahavira married. Both revere him not as a creator god but as a Jina, a conqueror of inner passions, who showed the path to liberation that each soul must walk for itself. He is regarded as the last in a line of twenty-four Tirthankaras, after Parshvanatha, and not as the founder of the faith.
The teaching remembered on the day is simple to state and demanding to live: ahimsa, non-violence towards every living being; satya, truthfulness; asteya, not taking what is not given; brahmacharya, restraint; and aparigraha, non-attachment to possessions. To these Jain thought adds anekantavada, the recognition that truth has many sides. Mahavir Jayanti is therefore kept quietly as much as festively, with worship, study, charity and care for animals.
How it is observed
- Visiting Jain temples early in the morning for darshan and worship of the image of Bhagwan Mahavir.
- Abhisheka, the ceremonial bathing of the image, and in many temples a symbolic celebration of the birth.
- A rath yatra or shobha yatra in which the image of Mahavir is carried through the streets on a chariot or palanquin, with bhajans.
- Discourses by monks and nuns on the life and teaching of Mahavira, and reading of scripture.
- Charity and service: donations, food for the needy, and care for animals, including support for animal shelters.
- For many Jains, fasting or eating simply, and taking particular care to avoid harm to living beings through the day.
How the date is fixed
Mahavir Jayanti is kept on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi, the thirteenth lunar day of the bright half of Chaitra. Our calendar takes the day on which Trayodashi is present at sunrise, the udaya tithi, which is how Jain almanacs reckon the day. If Trayodashi begins after one sunrise and ends before the next, so that it touches no sunrise at all (a kshaya tithi), the day on which it begins is taken. The date above is worked out this way. Jain communities follow their own panchang, and a sect, a community or a city may keep the celebration on another day; when that happens, the local Jain sangh’s announcement is the one to follow.
Where practice differs
Mahavir Jayanti is observed by Jains across India, with especially large celebrations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Delhi, and among Jain communities abroad. Pilgrims gather at places linked with Mahavira’s life, such as Kundalpur and Vaishali in Bihar, Pavapuri, and major temple towns like Palitana, Mount Abu and Shravanabelagola. Shvetambara and Digambara communities organise their own programmes, and their almanacs can occasionally differ by a day. The month name is Chaitra in both northern and amanta reckoning, since the day is in the bright half. It is a public holiday in many states.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why is Mahavir Jayanti celebrated?
It celebrates the birth, or janma kalyanak, of Bhagwan Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara of the Jain tradition. Jains remember his life of renunciation and his teaching of non-violence, truth and non-attachment, and renew their commitment to these values.
Where was Mahavira born?
Jain tradition places his birth at Kundagrama, near ancient Vaishali in present-day Bihar, as the son of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. Different Jain communities identify the exact place differently, and Kundalpur near Nalanda is also revered as his birthplace by some.
What is the difference between Shvetambara and Digambara views of Mahavira?
Both traditions honour Mahavira as the twenty-fourth Tirthankara and share his core teaching. They differ in some details of his life, for example Shvetambaras hold that he married and had a daughter while Digambaras hold that he never married, and in the number of his mother’s dreams.
Is Mahavir Jayanti a Hindu festival?
No. It is a Jain festival, kept according to Jain almanacs and Jain practice. Many people of other faiths share in the public celebrations, and the day is a public holiday in much of India, but its meaning belongs to the Jain tradition.