Ajitanatha (lit. invincible) was the second ''

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

'' of the present age, ''avasarpini'' (half

time cycle Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

) according to

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

. He was born to king Jitashatru and Queen Vijaya at

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

in the

Ikshvaku dynasty The Solar dynasty or (; ), also called the Ikshvaku dynasty, is a legendary Indian dynasty said to have been founded by Ikshvaku. In Hindu literature, it ruled the Kosala Kingdom, with its capital at Ayodhya, and later at Shravasti. They ...

. He was a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its ''

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

''.

In Jain texts

Ajitnatha (lit. invincible) was the second

of the present age, ''avasarpini'' (half

Jain cosmology Jain cosmology is the description of the shape and functioning of the Universe (''loka'') and its constituents (such as living beings, matter, space, time etc.) according to Jainism. Jain cosmology considers the universe as an uncreated entity t ...

) according to

. Ajitnatha was born in the town of Saketa to King Jitashatru and Queen Vijaya at

(Vinita-Saketa) in the

on ''magha-shukla-dashmi'' (the tenth day of the bright half of the month of '' Magha''). His height was 450 '' dhanusha''. He lived for a span of 72

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...

''purva''. According to

Hemachandra Hemacandra was a 12th century () Śvetāmbara Jaina acharya, ācārya, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, wikt:grammarian, grammarian, Law, law theorist, historian, Lexicography, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and Prosody ...

, he was named Ajita because the king father was unable to defeat his mother in gambling until he was in her womb. ''Uttarapurana'', a Digambara text, explains that he was named Ajita because he could not be defeated by sins or all heretics. He attained ''kevala jnana'' under the ''saptaparna'' tree (

Alstonia scholaris ''Alstonia scholaris'', commonly called blackboard tree, scholar tree, milkwood or devil's tree in English, is an evergreen tree in the oleander and frangipani family Apocynaceae. Its natural range is from Pakistan to China, and south to northe ...

) and ''

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

'' on ''chaitra-shukla-panchmi'' (fifth day of the bright half of the month of ''

Chaitra Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

'') from

Shikharji Shikharji (), also known as Sammet or Sammed Shikharji, is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Jains, in Giridih district, Jharkhand. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important ...

. He had 90 ''

Ganadhara In Jainism, the term Ganadhara is used to refer the chief disciple of a ''Tirthankara''. In '' samavasarana'', the ''Tīrthankara'' sat on a throne without touching it (about two inches above it). Around, the ''Tīrthankara'' sits the ''Gana ...

s'' and Simhasena was his chief among them. Falgu (according to Swetambara tradition) or Prakubja (according to

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

tradition) was a chief of his order of the nuns. The ''

Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' (, , from यजुस्, "worship", and वेद, "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism'' (Edito ...

'' mentions the name of Ajitanatha, but the meaning is not clear. According to Jain traditions, his younger cousin brother was Sagara. Sagara, who became the second

Chakravartin A ''chakravarti'' (, ) is an ideal (or idealized) universal ruler, in the history, and religion of India. The concept is present in Indian subcontinent cultural traditions, narrative myths and lore. There are three types of chakravarti: ''c ...

, is known from the traditions of both

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and Jain scriptures.

Iconography

Swetambara as well as

sects consider his complexion golden and elephant as his symbol. He is associated with ''saptaparna'' tree; Mahayaksha as attendant

Yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...

; and Ajita (as per Swetambra) or Rohini (as per Digambara) as attendant

Yakshi Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from Devas and Asuras and Gandharvas or Apsaras. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yaks ...

s. The elephant, symbol of Ajitanatha, is a

vahana ''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindus, Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership b ...

(mount) of the Mahayakshya and Ajita Yakshi seems named after Ajitanatha.

In literature, art and architecture

Literature

* The

Ajitha purana The Ajita Purana was written by Ranna in 993 CE narrates the story of Ajitanatha, the second ''tirthankara'' of Jainism. This is the shortest in the Kannada language. It narrates two stories of the previous births of the ''tirthankara''. S ...

, by

Ranna Ranna may refer to: *Ranna, a subdivision of the town Auerbach in der Oberpfalz in Bavaria, Germany * Ranna, Estonia, a village in the former municipality Pala Parish, Estonia * Ranna (Danube), a river of Bavaria, Germany and of Upper Austria, trib ...

narrates the story of Ajitanatha. * ''Ajitashanti Stotra'' compiled by Nandisena in 7th century is a praise to Ajitnatha and

Shantinatha Śāntinātha () or Śānti is the sixteenth of Jainism in the present age (). According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aćira of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the north Indian city of Hastinapur. His birth date i ...

Major temples

Taranga Jain Temple Taranga is a Jain Tirtha (Jainism), pilgrimage center near Kheralu in Mehsana district, Gujarat, India, with two compounds of Jain temples that are important examples of the Māru-Gurjara architecture, Māru-Gurjara style of architecture. The ...

* Vasai Jain Temple in

Bhadresar Bhadresar or Bhadreshwar is a village in Mundra Taluka, Kutch district of Gujarat, India. It is about 27 km from Taluka headquarters Mundra and barely a kilometer away from the seashore. History Bhadreshwar is the site of the ancient city ...

Bandhaji Bandhaji is a historic Jain tirtha about 35 km from Tikamgarh. History The 900 year old black colored idol of principal deity Bhagwan Ajitnatha is installed in a basement of Shri Bandhaji Atishaya Kshetra. According to historical and arch ...

Chaturmukha Basadi, Gerusoppa Chaturmukha Basadi is a symmetrical Jain Jain temple, temple located in Gerusoppa in Honnavar Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The temple is situated near the banks of the Sharavati. History The territory o ...

* Bateshwar Jain Temple, Agra * Ajitnathji Jain Temple, Pal gam, Surat, Gujarat File:Kutch Bhadreshwar Jain Temple.jpg, Vasai Jain Temple File:Tarangaji Jain temple.jpg, Taranga,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

(1121 AD) constructed by King Kumarapala File:Rangmandap, Taranga Jain Temple.jpg, Rang mandapa of the Svetambara Jain Temple at Taranga which was originally constructed by

Kumarpala Kumarapala () was a ruler from the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty of present-day western India. He ruled present-day Gujarat and surrounding areas, from his capital Anahilapataka (modern Patan). Kumarapala was a descendant of the Chaulukya king B ...

In Jain texts

Iconography

In literature, art and architecture

Literature

Major temples

See also

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading