New Delhi, March 31 -- Mahavir Jayanti, also known as Mahaveer Janma Kalyanak, is one of the most important and sacred festivals in Jainism. It is being celebrated on Tuesday, March 31, this year.

This festival commemorates the birth of Lord Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara of the current time cycle in Jain cosmology.

Lord Mahavir was born as Prince Vardhamana into a royal family to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala in present-day Bihar around 599 BC.

As per the Hindu calendar, Lord Mahavira was born on the 13th day of the month of Chaitra.

At the age of 30, Mahavir renounced all worldly possessions and became a wandering ascetic, seeking spiritual enlightenment. The legend goes that after spending 12 years in exile, he attai...