Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
and establisher of
Ikshvaku dynasty
The Solar dynasty (IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98, 100-/1, 136 The dynasty i ...
. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain cosmology, and called a "ford maker" because his teachings helped one across the
sea of interminable rebirths and deaths. The legends depict him as having lived millions of years ago. He was the spiritual successor of Sampratti Bhagwan, the last Tirthankar of previous time cycle. He is also known as Ādinātha which translates into "First (''Adi'') Lord (''nātha'')", as well as Adishvara (first Jina), Yugadideva (first deva of the yuga), Prathamarajeshwara (first God-king), Ikshvaku and Nabheya (son of Nabhi). Along with
Mahavira
Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...
,
Parshvanath
''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 '' Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru ( Kalpavriksha in this " ...
,
Neminath, and
Shantinath; Rishabhanath is one of the five Tirthankaras that attract the most devotional worship among the Jains.
According to traditional accounts, he was born to king
Nabhi
King Nabhi or Nabhi Rai was the 14th or the last '' Kulakara'' of '' avasarpini'' (the descending half of the cosmic time cycle in Jainism and the one in which the world is said to be at present). He was the father of Rishabhanatha, the first ' ...
and queen
Marudevi
Marudevī was the mother of the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha and the queen of King Nabhi.
Birth of Rishabhanatha
The enlivening of the embryo through the descent of the future Tīrthankara's soul in the mortal body is celebrated ...
in the north Indian city of
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...
, also called Vinita. He had two wives, Sunanda and Sumangala. Sumangala is described as the mother of his ninety-nine sons (including
Bharata) and one daughter, Brahmi. Sunanda is depicted as the mother of
Bahubali
Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...
and Sundari. The sudden death of Nilanjana, one of the dancers of
Indra, reminded him of the world's transitory nature, and he developed a desire for renunciation.
After his renunciation, the legends state Rishabhanatha travelled without food for an entire year. The day on which he got his first ' (food) is celebrated by Jains as
Akshaya Tritiya
Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akti or Akha Teej, is an annual Hindu and Jain spring festival. It falls on the third ''tithi'' (lunar day) of the bright half (''Shukla Paksha'') of the month of Vaisakha. It is regionally observed as an auspicio ...
. He attained ''
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologica ...
'' on
Mount Asthapada (Kailash). The text ''
Adi Purana'' by
Jinasena
Jinasena (c. 9th century CE) was a monk and scholar in the ''Digambara'' tradition of Jainism. He was patronized by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I. He was the author of ''Adipurana'' and '' Mahapurana''.[Statue of Ahimsa
The ''Statue of Ahimsa'' is located at Mangi-Tungi, in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the tallest Jain statue in the world as per Guinness World Records. The statue depicts the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha. The s ...]
,
Bawangaja
Bawangaja (meaning 52 yards) is a famous Jain pilgrim center in the Barwani district of southwestern Madhya Pradesh in India. Located about 6 kilometers south of River Narmada, its main attraction is the world's second largest megalithic sta ...
and those erected in
Gopachal hill. His icons include the eponymous bull as his emblem, the
Nyagrodha tree,
Gomukha
In Jain cosmology, Gomukha is the guardian god or Yaksha (attendant deity) of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara.
Legacy Worship
Gomukha along with Dharanendra is the most popular yaksha in Jainism.
Iconography
According to Jain traditi ...
(bull-faced)
Yaksha
The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) 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 ...
, and
Chakreshvari Yakshi.
Life
Rishabhanatha is known by many names including Adinatha, Adishwara, Yugadeva and Nabheya. ''
Ādi purāṇa'', a major
Jain text
Jain literature (Sanskrit: जैन साहित्य) refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the c ...
records the life accounts of Rishabhanatha as well as ten previous incarnations. Jain tradition depicts life of a ''
tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English language, English: literally a 'Ford (crossing), ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the ...
'' in five auspicious events called the ''
pancha kalyanaka''. These include ''garbha'' (mother's pregnancy), ''janma'' (birth), ''tapa'' (penance), ''
keivalyagyana'' (omniscience) and ''
moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologica ...
'' (liberation).
According to
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 ...
, the universe does not have a temporal beginning or end. Its "Universal History" divides the cycle of time into two halves (
avasarpiṇī and ''utsarpiṇī'') with six ''aras'' (spokes) in each half, and the cycles keep repeating perpetually. Twenty-four
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English language, English: literally a 'Ford (crossing), ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the ...
s appear in every ''half'', the first
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English language, English: literally a 'Ford (crossing), ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the ...
founding Jainism each time. In the present time cycle, Rishabhanatha is credited as being the first ''tīrthaṅkara'', born at the end of the third ''half'' (known as ''suṣama-duṣamā'' ''ārā'').
Rishabhanatha is said to be the founder of Jainism of the present
Avsarpini (a time cycle) by the different Jain sub-traditions. Jain chronology places Rishabhanatha in historical terms, as someone who lived millions of years ago. He is believed to have been born 10
224 years ago and lived for a span of 8,400,000 purva (592.704 × 10
18 years). His height is described in the Jain texts to be 500 bows (1312
ell
An ell (from Proto-Germanic *''alinō'', cognate with Latin ''ulna'') is a northwestern European unit of measurement, originally understood as a cubit (the combined length of the forearm and extended hand). The word literally means "arm", and ...
s), or about 4920 feet/1500 meters. Such descriptions of non-human heights and age are also found for the next 21 Tirthankaras in Jain texts and according to Kristi Wiley – a scholar at University of California Berkeley known for her publications on Jainism. Most Indologists and scholars consider all the first 22 of 24 Tirthankaras to be prehistorical, or historical and a part of Jain mythology. However, among Jain writers and some Indian scholars, some of the first 22 Tirthankaras are considered to reflect historical figures, with a few conceding that the inflated biographical statistics are mythical.
According to
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...
, a professor of comparative religions and philosophy at Oxford who later became the second
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...
, there is evidence to show that Rishabhdeva was being worshipped by the first century BCE. The
Yajurveda
The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...
mentions the names of three Tirthankaras – Rishabha,
Ajitanatha and
Arishtanemi, states Radhakrishnan, and "the
Bhāgavata Purāṇa endorses the view that Rishabha was the founder of Jainism".
Birth

Rishabhanatha was born to
Nabhi
King Nabhi or Nabhi Rai was the 14th or the last '' Kulakara'' of '' avasarpini'' (the descending half of the cosmic time cycle in Jainism and the one in which the world is said to be at present). He was the father of Rishabhanatha, the first ' ...
and
Marudevi
Marudevī was the mother of the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha and the queen of King Nabhi.
Birth of Rishabhanatha
The enlivening of the embryo through the descent of the future Tīrthankara's soul in the mortal body is celebrated ...
, the king and queen of
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...
, on the ninth day of the dark half of the month of Chaitra-''caitra krişna navamĩ''. His association to Ayodhya makes it a sacred town for Jains, as it is in Hinduism for the birth of the
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
. In Jain tradition, the birth of a ''tirthankara'' is marked by 16
auspicious dreams of his mother. These are believed to have been seen by Marudevi on the second day of Ashadha (a month of the
Jain calendar
The ''Vira Nirvana Samvat'' (era) is a calendar era beginning on 7 October 527 BCE. It commemorates the Nirvana of Lord Mahaviraswami, the 24th Jain Tirthankara. This is the oldest system of chronological reckoning which is still used in India ...
) ''Krishna'' (dark fortnight). The dreams signified ''tirthankara's'' birth according to the supposed explanation by the king to his queen.
Marriage and children
Rishabhanatha is believed to have two wives, Sunanda and Sumangala. Sumangala is claimed to be the mother of ninety-nine sons (including
Bharata) and one daughter, Brahmi. Sunanda is suggested to be the mother of
Bahubali
Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...
and Sundari. Jain texts state that Rishabhanatha taught his daughters Brahmi and Sundari,
Brahmi script
Brahmi (; ; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such ...
and the science of numbers (''Ank-Vidya'') respectively. The ''Pannavana Sutra'' (2nd century BCE) and the ''Samavayanga Sutra'' (3rd century BCE) list many other writing scripts known to the ancient Jain tradition, of which the Brahmi script named after Rishabha's daughter tops the list. His eldest son, Bharata, is stated to have ruled ancient India from his capital of Ayodhya. He is described as a just and kind ruler in Jain texts, who was not attached to wealth or vices.
Rule, administration and teachings

Rishabhanatha was born in ''bhoga-bhumi'' or the age of omnipresent happiness. It is further suggested that no one had to work because of miraculous wish-fulfilling trees called the ''
kalpavrikshas''. It is stated that people approached the king for help due to decreased efficacy of the trees with passage of time. Rishabhanatha is then said to have taught them six main professions. These were: (1) ''Asi'' (swordsmanship for protection), (2) ''Masi'' (writing skills), (3) ''Krishi'' (agriculture), (4) ''Vidya'' (knowledge), (5) ''Vanijya'' (trade and commerce) and (6) ''Shilp'' (crafts). In other words, he is credited with introducing ''karma-bhumi'' (the age of action) by founding arts and professions to enable householders to sustain themselves. Rishabhanatha is credited in Jainism to have invented and taught fire, cooking and all the skills needed for human beings to live. In total, Rishabhanatha is said to have taught seventy-two sciences to men and sixty-four to women. The institution of marriage is stated to have come into existence after his marriage marked the precedence. According to Paul Dundas, Rishabhanatha, in Jainism, is thus not merely a spiritual teacher, but the one who founded knowledge in its various forms. He is depicted as a form of culture hero for the current cosmological cycle.
Traditional sources state that Rishabhanatha was the first king who established his capital at ''Vinitanagara'' (Ayodhya). He is claimed to have given first laws for governance by a king. He is said to have established the three-fold ''
varna'' system based on professions consisting of ''
kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
s'' (warriors), ''
vaishya
Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य, ''vaiśya'') is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order in India. Vaishyas are classed third in the order of caste hierarchy.
The occupation of Vaishyas consists mainly of agriculture, taking care ...
s'' (merchants) and ''
shudra
Shudra or ''Shoodra'' (Sanskrit: ') is one of the four ''Varna (Hinduism), varnas'' of the Hindu caste system and social order in ancient India. Various sources translate it into English as a caste, or alternatively as a social class. Theoret ...
s'' (manual workers). Bharata is said to have added fourth ''varna'', ''
brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
'' to the system.
Renunciation

Jain legends talk about a dance of celestial dancers organised in Rishabhanatha's royal assembly hall by
Indra, the heavenly-king of the first heaven. Nilanjana, one of the dancers, is said to have died in midst of the series of vigorous dance movements. The sudden death of Nilanjana is said to have reminded Rishabhanatha of the world's transitory nature, triggering him to renounce his kingdom, family and material wealth. He is then believed to have distributed his kingdom among his hundred sons. Bharata supposedly got the city of Ayodhya and Bahubali is believed to have got the city of Podanapur (
Taxila
Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area ...
). He is believed to have become a monk in Siddharta-garden, in the outskirts of Ayodhya, under
Ashoka
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...
tree on the ninth day of the month of ''Chaitra Krishna'' (Hindu calendar).
Akshaya Tritiya
Jains believe that people did not know the procedure to offer food to a monk, since Rishabhanatha was the first one. His great-grandson, Shreyansa, a king of ''Gajapura'' (now
Hastinapur
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts ...
), offered him sugarcane juice (''ikshu-rasa'') to break his 13-months-long
fast
Fast or FAST may refer to:
* Fast (noun), high speed or velocity
* Fast (noun, verb), to practice fasting, abstaining from food and/or water for a certain period of time
Acronyms and coded Computing and software
* ''Faceted Application of Subje ...
. Jains celebrate the event as ''
Akshaya tritiya
Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akti or Akha Teej, is an annual Hindu and Jain spring festival. It falls on the third ''tithi'' (lunar day) of the bright half (''Shukla Paksha'') of the month of Vaisakha. It is regionally observed as an auspicio ...
'' every year on the third day of the bright fortnight of the month ''Vaishaka'' (usually April). It is believed to be the starting of the ritual of ''ahara-
daana'' (food offerings) from layperson to mendicants.
Omniscience

Rishabhanatha is said to have spent a thousand years performing austerities before attaining ''kevala jnana'' (omniscience) under a
banyan tree
A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as ...
on the 11th day of ''
falgun-krishna'' (a month in traditional calendar). The ''
Devas
Devas may refer to:
* Devas Club, a club in south London
* Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter
* Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist
* Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club
* Devas (band)
Deva ...
'' (heavenly beings) are suggested to have created divine preaching halls known as ''
samavasarana
In Jainism, Samavasarana or Samosharana ("Refuge to All") is the divine preaching hall of the Tirthankara, stated to have more than 20,000 stairs in it. The word ''samavasarana'' is derived from two words, ''sama'', meaning general and ''avasar ...
s'' for him after that. He is believed to have given the
five major vows for monks and 12 minor vows for laity. He is believed to have established the ''
sangha
Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
'' (four-fold religious order) consisting of male and female mendicants and disciples. His religious order is mentioned in ''
Kalpa Sutra'' to have consisted of 84,000 ''sadhus'' (male monks) and 3,000,000 ''sadhvis'' (female monks).
Nirvana kalyanaka

Rishabhanatha is said to have preached the principles of Jainism far and wide. At his death, he is suggested to have attained ''Nirvana'' or ''moksha'', destroying all four of his ''ghati-
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means 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 ...
''. This is marked as liberation of his soul from the endless cycle of rebirths to stay eternally at ''siddhaloka''. His death is believed in Jainism to have occurred on ''Ashtapada'' (also known as
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude ...
) on the fourteenth day of
Magha Krishna (Hindu Calendar). His total age at that time is suggested to be 84 ''lakh'' ''purva'' years, with three years and eight and a half months remaining of the third ''ara''. According to medieval era Jain texts, Rishabhanatha performed asceticism for millions of years, then returned to Ashtapada where he fasted to his death (moksha). They further state that Indra came with his fellow gods from the heavens after that to cremate his body with sandalwood, camphor, butter and other fire offerings.
In literature

The
Ādi purāṇa, a 9th-century
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
poem, and a 10th-century
Kannada language commentary on it by the poet
Adikavi Pampa (fl. 941 CE), written in
Champu
Champu or Chapu-Kavya (Devanagari: चम्पू-काव्य) is a genre of literary composition in Indian literature. The word 'Champu' means a combination of poetry and prose. A ''champu-kavya'' consists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kav ...
style, a mix of prose and verse and spread over sixteen cantos, deals with the ten lives of Rishabhanatha and his two sons. The life of Lord Rishabhanatha is also detailed in
Mahapurana of
Jinasena
Jinasena (c. 9th century CE) was a monk and scholar in the ''Digambara'' tradition of Jainism. He was patronized by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I. He was the author of ''Adipurana'' and '' Mahapurana''.[Hemachandra
Hemachandra was a 12th century () Indian Jain saint, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gai ...]
, ''Kalpa Sutra'' a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, and ''Jambudvipa-prajnapti''.
Bhaktamara Stotra
Bhaktamara Stotra is a famous Jain Sanskrit prayer. It was composed by Acharya Manatunga (7th century CE). The name Bhaktamara comes from a combination of two Sanskrit names, "Bhakta" (Devotee) and "Amar" (Immortal).
The prayer praises ''Ri ...
by
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ti ...
Manatunga is one of the most prominent prayers mentioning Rishabhanatha. There is mention of
Rishabha
Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain c ...
in
Hindu texts
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
, such as in the ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
'', ''
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana ( IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus.
The manusc ...
'' and ''
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...
'' (in 5th canto). In later texts, such as the ''Bhagavatapurana'', he is described as an ''avatar'' of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
, a great sage, known for his learning and austerities. Rishabhanatha is also mentioned in
Buddhist literature
Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...
. It speaks of several ''tirthankara'' and includes Rishabhanatha along with:
Padmaprabha,
Chandraprabha
Chandraprabha () is the eighth Tirthankara of ''Avasarpini'' (present half cycle of time as per Jain cosmology). Chandraprabhu was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain texts, ...
,
Pushpadanta,
Vimalanatha,
Dharmanatha, and
Neminatha
Neminatha, also known as Nemi and Arishtanemi, is the twenty-second '' tirthankara'' (ford-maker) in Jainism. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, Neminatha is one of the twenty four ''tirthankaras'' who attract the most devo ...
. A
Buddhist scripture
Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...
named ''Dharmottarapradipa'' mentions Rishabhanatha as an Apta (Tirthankara).
Iconography

Rishabhanatha is usually depicted in the
lotus position
Lotus position or Padmasana ( sa, पद्मासन, translit=padmāsana) is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha ...
or
kayotsarga
Kayotsarga ( , pka, काउस्सग्ग ) is a yogic posture which is an important part of the Jain meditation. It literally means "dismissing the body". A tirthankara is represented either seated in yoga posture or standing in the kay ...
, a standing posture of meditation. The distinguishing features of Rishabhanatha are his long locks of hair which fall on his shoulders, and an image of a bull in sculptures of him. Rishabhanatha's hairlocks have been depicted in first century A.D. sculptures found in Mathura and Causa. Paintings of him usually depict legendary events of his life. Some of these include his marriage, and
Indra performing a ritual known as
abhisheka
Abhisheka () means "bathing of the divinity to whom worship is offered." It is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a God or Goddess. Abhisheka is common to Indian religions ...
(consecration). He is sometimes shown presenting a bowl to his followers and teaching them the art of pottery, painting a house, or weaving textiles. The visit of his mother Marudevi is also shown extensively in painting. He is also associated with his Bull emblem, the
Nyagrodha tree,
Gomukha
In Jain cosmology, Gomukha is the guardian god or Yaksha (attendant deity) of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara.
Legacy Worship
Gomukha along with Dharanendra is the most popular yaksha in Jainism.
Iconography
According to Jain traditi ...
(bull-faced)
Yaksha
The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) 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 ...
, and
Chakreshvari Yakshi.
Statue of Ahimsa
The ''Statue of Ahimsa'' is located at Mangi-Tungi, in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the tallest Jain statue in the world as per Guinness World Records. The statue depicts the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha. The s ...
, carved out of a single rock, is a tall ( including pedestal) statue of Rishabhanatha and is 1,840 sq feet in size. It is said to be the world's tallest Jain idol. It is located above from sea level, near
Mangi-Tungi hills near
Nashik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nash ...
(Maharashtra). Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records visited Mangi Tungi and awarded the engineer of the 108 ft tall ''Rishabhdeva'' statue, C R Patil, the official certificate for the world's tallest Jain idol.
In
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
, there is the
Bawangaja
Bawangaja (meaning 52 yards) is a famous Jain pilgrim center in the Barwani district of southwestern Madhya Pradesh in India. Located about 6 kilometers south of River Narmada, its main attraction is the world's second largest megalithic sta ...
(meaning ) hill, near
Barwani
Barwani or Badwani ( hi, Baḍwāni) is a municipal town in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, India, that is situated near the left bank of the Narmada River. It is the administrative headquarters of Barwani district and has also served a ...
with a Gommateshvara figure covered on the top of it. This site is important to Jain pilgrims particularly on the full moon day in January. The site has a Rishabanatha statue carved from a volcanic rock. The Rishabhanatha Statue at
Gopachal Hill,
Gwalior Fort
The Gwalior Fort commonly known as the ''Gwāliiyar Qila'', is a hill fort near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. The fort has existed at least since the 10th century, and the inscriptions and monuments found within what is now the fort campus ind ...
,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
. Thousands of Jain idols including 58.4 foot idol of Rishabhanatha were carved in the Gopachal Hill idol from 1398 A.D. to 1536 A.D. by rulers of
Tomar dynasty
The Tomara dynasty (also called Tomar in modern vernaculars because of schwa deletion) dynasty ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana in India during 8th-12th century. Their rule over this region is attested to by multiple inscription ...
rulers — ''Viramdev, Dungar Singh and Kirti Singh''.
File:StatueOfAhimsa (cropped).jpg, Statue of Ahimsa
The ''Statue of Ahimsa'' is located at Mangi-Tungi, in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the tallest Jain statue in the world as per Guinness World Records. The statue depicts the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha. The s ...
, Maharashtra,
File:Bawangajastatue (cropped).jpg, Bawangaja
Bawangaja (meaning 52 yards) is a famous Jain pilgrim center in the Barwani district of southwestern Madhya Pradesh in India. Located about 6 kilometers south of River Narmada, its main attraction is the world's second largest megalithic sta ...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
,
File:Gwalior-adinath1.jpg, The colossal at Gopachal Hill
File:Adinath.jpg, The tall rock cut idol at Chanderi
File:Bada Gaon - Trilok Teerth Dham - Rishabhdev (2).jpg, statue made up of '' Ashtadhatu'', Trilok Teerth Dham
File:Rishabhdev Idol - Kota databari.jpg, The idol at Dadabari, Kota
Kota or KOTA may refer to:
People and languages
*Kōta (given name), a masculine Japanese given name
*Kota Brahmin, a sub-caste of Brahmins in Karnataka
*Kota people (India), a tribe in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, South India
**Kota language ...
File:Shatrunjay Adinath Rishabhdev Bhagwan.jpg, Idol of Lord Rishabhdeva at Palitana
Pālītāṇā is a city in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located 50 km southwest of Bhavnagar city and is a major pilgrimage centre ("shashwat tirth") for Jains. It is first of the two vegetarian cities in the world.
Histo ...
Tirth, Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the 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 fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
Temples

Rishabhanatha is one of the five most devotionally revered Tirthankaras, along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha, Neminatha and Shantinatha. Various Jain temple complexes across India feature him, and these are important pilgrimage sites in Jainism. Mount
Shatrunjaya, for example, is a hilly part of southern
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the 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 fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
, which is believed to have been a place where 23 out of 24 Tirthankaras preached, along with Rishabha. Numerous monks are believed to have attained their liberation from cycles of rebirth there, and a large temple within the complex is dedicated to Rishabha commemorating his enlightenment in
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...
. The central Rishabha icon of this complex is called Adinatha or simply ''Dada'' (grandfather). This icon is the most revered of all the ''murtipujaka'' icons, believed by some in the Jain tradition to have miracle making powers, according to John Cort. In Jain texts, Kunti and the five Pandava brothers of the Hindu Epic ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
'' came to the hill top to pay respects, and consecrated an icon of Rishabha at Shatrunjaya. Important Rishabha temple complexes include
Palitana temples,
Dilwara Temples
The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Bhima-1 and supposedly de ...
,
Kulpakji
Kulpakji also Kolanupaka Temple is a 2,000 year-old Jain temple at the village of Kolanupaka in Aler City, Yadadri district, Telangana, India. The temple houses three idols: one each of Lord Rishabhanatha, Lord Neminatha, and Lord Mahavira. The ...
,
Kundalpur
Kundalpur is a town located in Damoh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Located northeast of the city of Damoh, Kundalpur is a pilgrimage site for Jains.
Location
Nearby cities include Damoh , Sagar , and Jabalpur . The nea ...
,
Paporaji,
Soniji Ki Nasiyan
The Ajmer Jain temple, also known as Soniji Ki Nasiyan, is an architecturally rich Jain temple. It was built in the late nineteenth century. The main chamber, known as the Swarna Nagari "City of Gold", has several gold-plated wooden figures, de ...
,
Rishabhdeo
Rikhabdeo (aka Rishabhadeo) is a census town in Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan, in north-west India.
Rishabhadeo is situated from Udaipur and is on Udaipur-Ahmedabad Road. The name of the town is also Dhulev The place got its name ...
,
Sanghiji,
Hanumantal Bada Jain Mandir,
Trilok Teerth Dham,
Pavagadh and
Sarvodaya Jain temple.
File:Jain Temple Ranakpur.jpg, Ranakpur Jain temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
File:Khajuraho3.jpg, Adinatha temple, Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
File:Delwada.jpg, Vimal Vasahi, Dilwara temples
The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Bhima-1 and supposedly de ...
File:Panchakuta Basadi (10th century AD) at Kambadahalli.JPG, Panchakuta Basadi
See also
*
List of Jain Tirthankaras
*
List of Tirthankaras
*
God in Jainism
In Jainism, godliness is said to be the inherent quality of every soul. This quality, however, is subdued by the soul's association with karmic matter. All souls who have achieved the natural state of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge ('' keva ...
*
History of Jainism
*
Siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rishabhanatha
Tirthankaras
Solar dynasty
Ancient Indian people
Jain giants
Characters in the Bhagavata Purana
Forms of Vishnu
People from Uttar Pradesh
Mythological characters
Jainism