Life & History
Naminatha is the last of the Tirthankaras associated with the earlier, legendary portion of the Jain time-cycle before Neminatha, Parshvanatha, and Mahavira, whose lives fall in a period closer to attested history. As with the other early Tirthankaras, what is recorded of him comes down through later Jain canonical and narrative literature.
Jain tradition connects Naminatha to the Ikshvaku royal lineage, a dynasty frequently invoked in early Jain accounts of Tirthankara ancestry, and describes him, like the Tirthankaras before him, as having renounced royal life to take up asceticism, ultimately teaching the path to liberation before attaining moksha.
Teaching & Significance
Naminatha's teaching upheld the core Jain path of renunciation, self-discipline, and liberation of the soul from the cycle of rebirth.
At a Glance
- Position
- 21st of twenty-four
- Emblem (Lanchhana)
- Blue Lotus
- Traditional colour
- Golden
- Moksha Sthal
- Sammed Shikhar (Parasnath Hills, Jharkhand)