Mahavir Jayanti 2025 Date: Know the history, significance, and celebration of the Jain festival in India

According to Drik Panchang, this year will mark the 2623rd birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, with Trayodashi Tithi starting from April 09, 2025, at 10:55 PM, and ending on April 11, 2025, at 01:00 AM.

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Born as Vardhamana into the royal family, to Queen Trishala and King Siddhartha at Kundagram, present-day Bihar, India, in 599 BC, Mahavira, which translates to “the great hero,” renounced his royalty and world pleasures and attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience or supreme knowledge), marking his transformation as a spiritual leader.

Spending the next 30 years travelling across India to teach his philosophy of Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (chastity), and Aparigraha (non-attachment), later became the fundamental principles of Jainism.

On Mahavira Jayanti, people mark the festival by visiting temples to offer prayers, meditate, and the reading of scriptures, in addition to acts of charity. It is largely celebrated by Jain populations, in India, Nepal, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

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Rath Yatra is one of the major highlights of the festival. (File/Express Photo by Pavan Khengre)

Rath Yatra is a grand procession carried on streets with the idol of Lord Mahavira placed on a chariot and devotees accompanying it while singing hymns and reciting prayers.