Mahavir Jayanti 2026 மகாவீர் ஜெயந்தி

The day in the Tamil calendar

Timings for Chennai. The date follows the Tamil Nadu calendar.

About the festival

Mahavir Jayanti marks the birth of Mahavira, whom Jains regard as the 24th and last Tirthankara of the present era, and it is one of the principal Jain festivals.^1,2

Both the Digambara and Shvetambara traditions observe it, and Jains often call it Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, the auspicious event of Mahavira's birth.^2,3

Observances include public processions, hymn singing, and temple rites in which a small Jina image is bathed with perfumed water and anointed with sandalwood paste.^2,3

When it falls: Mahavir Jayanti is observed on the 13th day of the bright half (Shukla Trayodashi) of the lunar month Chaitra, roughly mid-March to mid-April.^2,3

Sources

1. britannica.com
2. britannica.com
3. jainpedia.org

Mahavir Jayanti in other years