Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Everything you need to know about the festival

Mahavir Jayanti is held to remember the life and teachings of the spiritual teacher who spread the Jain faith's dharma principles. The Mahavir Jayanti 2023 festival begins On April 4

For members of the Jain community, Mahavir Jayanti serves as a celebration of the birth anniversary of one of Jainism's most revered Tirthankaras.

Lord Mahavir was born in the month of Chaitra on the 13th day of the Shukla Paksha. Mahavir Jayanti is a day to remember the life and teachings of this important spiritual teacher who spread the Jain faith's dharma principles. On April 4, 2023, the Mahavir Jayanti festival will begin.

According to the Swetambars and Digambar Jains, he was born in 615 BC or 599 BC in Kundalagrama, Bihar, to King Sidhartha and Queen Trisala. He was never drawn to worldly pleasures, even though he was surrounded by luxury and comfort. At the age of 30, he left his kingdom, family, and responsibilities to seek meaning in life. To find inner peace and tranquillity, he engaged in intense penance for twelve years in the forest.

Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Celebration

The day begins with certain rituals, such as getting up early and taking a bath to cleanse the body. An idol of Lord Mahavira, one of Jainism's most respected and important saints, is then installed by Jainism. As a sign of respect and veneration, devotees perform an abhishekam, a ritualistic bath, on the idol, which is adorned with flowers.

The devoted present sweets and fruits to Lord Mahavira as a token of their devotion. The festival, on the other hand, also has a greater significance as a day of charity and giving. On this promising day, devotees take part in thoughtful gestures and empathy, for example, taking care of poor people and the needy and circulating clothes to the people who require them.

On Mahavir Jayanti, tradition observes a strict fast as an additional custom. This is viewed as a means of mind-body purification and reaffirmation of commitment to Jainism's tenets.