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Lord Mahâvîra
It was followed by the various Chalcolithic Cultures 1800-600 B.C.) the Painted Grey Ware Culture of the Ganga Yamuna basin, the Chalcolithic Cultures of Madhya Pradesh and the Deccan, the Neolithic Cultures of North West etc. In the light of the material furnished by these different cultures we should place Jainism before Mahâvîra. The archaeological evidence does not prove such an antiquity of Jainism as known from the Jaina scriptures.
The Theory of Twenty-four Tîrthankaras
The Kalpasutra ascribed to Bhadrabahu (3rd B. C.) shows the early stage of the development of Jainism when the tradition of four Tîrthankaras or Jinas was cherished by the Jaina Community. The four Jinas whose life-history is presented in the Kalpasutra are Rishabhadatta, Arishtanemi, Parsva and Mahâvîra. The conception of the Former Buddhas was prevalent even in Buddhism as early as the third century B. C. because some of them were worshipped in their own stupas. Like Buddhism, in Jainism also, the number gradually increased from four to seven, and from seven to twenty four Tirthankaras. The tradition of twenty four Tirthankaras become well established in about the first or second century A. D. among the Jainas. No doubt in developing this theory, both Buddhism and Jainism were influenced by one another. It is difficult to say which of the two sects first invented or borrowed from the other. As the Nirgranthas were never spoken of in Buddhist writings as a newly risen sect nor Nataputta as their founder. Accordingly the Nirgranthas were probably an old sect at the time of Buddha, and Nataputta only the reformer of the Jaina Church which may have been founded earlier. Hence this theory of the Tirthankaras may have been invented first by the Jainas because Parsvanatha already flourished before Mahâvîra.
Rishabha as Founder of Jainism
According to the Jaina tradition, Rishabha, who belonged to the Ikshavaku family of Ayodhya, was the founder of Jainism. His parents were Nabhiraja and Marudevi. The name of his son was Bharata after whom India is said to be named. He was the first Jina and the first Tirthankara who was born in a very primitive
