Mahavir Jayanti 2018: Facts, significance of Jain festival

Mahavir Jayanti, which will be celebrated on March 29, marks a significant festival for the Jain community across the world.

The holy day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the last Tirthankara of Jainism. Tirthankara means the spiritual teacher of the religion who enlighten the mankind towards the righteous path.

Lord Mahavir was the preacher of non-violence, love and respect for all living beings. It is said that his teachings form the basic values of Jainism.

So as Mahavir Jayanti is around the corner, here we bring you some of the facts about the festival.

Mahavir Jayanti facts

1. Lord Mahavir, who was born to King Siddhartha and Queen Trisala in Vaishali, gave up all redundancies after ruling for 30 years in order to seek enlightenment.

2. His birth anniversary is celebrated on the 13th day in the month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar. The festival might vary between March and April as per the English calendar.

3. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated in a grand manner across the world. An idol of Lord Mahavir is carried on a chariot for the procession which is known as the Rath Yatra. Devotional rhymes and bhajans are sung by the devotees in praise of Lord Mahavir.

4. Jain temples are decorated and Lord Mahavir's idol is given the ceremonial bath. Prayers are also held on the auspicious occasion. Notably, Jainism is a simple religion who prefer to have their celebrations in a very peaceful manner.

5. Given the significance of the day, the members of the Jain community do charitable work on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. Besides special Mahavir Jayanti recipes are also made for the holy festival. Since Jains follow satvik diets, their recipes have no presence of onions and garlic.