Mahavir Jayanti 2027

About Mahavir Jayanti

Mahavir Jayanti, which Jains call Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, marks the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism, on the thirteenth day of the bright half of Chaitra. In 2027 it falls on Monday, 19 April 2027. Jains of both the Svetambara and Digambara traditions mark it with temple abhishek, processions of Mahavira's image and charity, and it is a central government holiday.

Jains rarely say "Jayanti". The community's own word is Kalyanak, an auspicious event in the life of a Tirthankara, and Mahavira's birth is one of those events. His nirvana, which Jains mark on Diwali night, is another. The birthday is quieter than Diwali and more public than Paryushan, and it is the one Jain day most non-Jains in India have heard of.

When is Mahavir Jayanti, and how is the date set?

Mahavir Jayanti falls on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi, the thirteenth lunar day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra, which puts it in March or April. It follows the lunar calendar, so the Gregorian date moves each year, usually landing a few days after Ram Navami.

Jain texts place the birth on that tithi, but the two main Jain traditions disagree on the year. The Svetambara tradition dates it to 599 BCE; the Digambara tradition uses a different chronology. Historians generally place Mahavira in the sixth or fifth century BCE. The day is a gazetted holiday for central government offices, and state holiday lists vary.

Who was Mahavira?

Mahavira was born Vardhamana, "the one who grows", to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala of the Naya clan, at Kundagrama or Kshatriyakund near Vaishali in present-day Bihar. According to Jain tradition he left home at thirty, spent twelve and a half years in severe austerity, attained kevala jnana, omniscience, under a sal tree, and taught for the next thirty years. He attained nirvana at Pawapuri, also in Bihar.

Jains do not regard him as the founder of their religion. He is the 24th Tirthankara, a ford-maker who shows the way across the cycle of rebirth, and the last of the twenty-four in the present cycle of time.

The two traditions tell parts of his life differently, and it helps to know which one a friend's family follows.

What did Mahavira teach?

Mahavira's teaching rests on five vows, which Jain monks and nuns keep in full and lay Jains keep in a lighter form.

Ahimsa

Non-violence towards every living being, including insects and plants.

Satya

Truthfulness.

Asteya

Not taking what is not given.

Brahmacharya

Chastity, or for householders, restraint.

Aparigraha

Non-possession; not clinging to things or people.

Anekantavada

The idea that no single viewpoint captures the whole truth.

Jai Jinendra

The everyday Jain greeting, "victory to the Lord of the Jinas".

These are the lines people quote on the day. The President's message on the eve of Mahavir Jayanti in 2026, for example, named the same five principles. Ahimsa is the one that shapes daily life most visibly, down to what Jains eat.

How do Jains celebrate Mahavir Jayanti?

Jains celebrate Mahavir Jayanti with a morning abhishek, a ritual bath of Mahavira's image in the temple, followed by a procession, puja, sermons by monks and nuns, and charity.

• Abhishek and puja. The image is bathed and worshipped in the temple, often by families in turn.
• Rath yatra. An image of Mahavira is taken out on a decorated chariot or palanquin through the town, with bhajans and devotees walking alongside.
• Charity. Donations to animal shelters, hospitals and schools are common on the day.
• Ahimsa rallies. Some towns hold walks for non-violence and vegetarianism.

One of the best-known gatherings is at Shri Mahaveerji in Karauli district, Rajasthan, a Digambara pilgrimage site on the Gambhir river. Its five-day fair ends with a bullock-drawn chariot procession to the riverbank, and Meena and Gujjar villagers take part alongside Jain pilgrims. Local tradition says the temple's image was dug out of a mound near the village after a Meena herder's cow kept giving its milk there.

Several city corporations also order slaughterhouses and meat shops shut for the day. Coimbatore Corporation, for example, closed all three of its municipal slaughterhouses on Mahavir Jayanti in 2026.

Wishing and hosting Jain friends

If you are inviting Jain colleagues to anything on the day, the food matters more than the card. Observant Jains avoid root vegetables such as potato, onion, garlic and carrot, because a single root is believed to host countless lives. Honey is avoided because collecting it harms bees. Many eat only between sunrise and sunset, a practice called chauvihar, and some avoid fermented food.

Mahavira's nirvana is remembered on Diwali. The Jain calendar's most important stretch is Paryushan, which ends with Samvatsari, the day of asking forgiveness.

How to wish someone on Mahavir Jayanti

A Mahavir Jayanti wish should reflect what Mahavira taught rather than general festive cheer: non-violence, truthfulness, restraint and compassion for every living being. "Jai Jinendra" is the natural greeting between Jains and a respectful one from others. Keep food out of it unless you know the family's rules, and never send a meat-based treat or a joke about Jain diets.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.

When is Mahavir Jayanti in 2026 and 2027?

Mahavir Jayanti is set by the Jain lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 19 days later than in 2026.

Frequently asked questions