Both traditions
Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
The abhisheka of the infant-Mahavir image, re-enacting Indra’s abhisheka on Mount Sumeru; snatra puja; rath yatra; sermons; charity; and ahimsa rallies.
- Both traditions
- kept by
- One day
- how long
- 31 March 2026
- when it falls
Which traditions keep it
Kept by every tradition; India’s only Jain national holiday. One doctrinal difference is worth knowing: Shwetambar accounts have Trishala see fourteen auspicious dreams, Digambar accounts sixteen.
What is done
The abhisheka of the infant-Mahavir image, re-enacting Indra’s abhisheka on Mount Sumeru; snatra puja; rath yatra; sermons; charity; and ahimsa rallies.
Why two sources give two days
Computed for Mumbai, Shukla Trayodashi begins at 07:10 on 30 March 2026 — thirty-six minutes after sunrise — and ends at 06:56 on 31 March, twenty-three minutes after sunrise. So Trayodashi is the tithi at sunrise on 31 March and covers almost all of the daylight of 30 March. Thirty-six minutes is the whole of the difference between the two published dates. This is what "a tithi is an instant, not a day" costs in practice.
Tell us if this is wrong
We have shown our sources and said where they disagree. If you know this to be wrong, or you have a printed vidhi or a panchang that settles it, please tell us — we will correct it and credit you.
AboutWhy two sources give two days
Sources
Where this came from
Graded, so you can weigh a claim rather than take it on trust.
- Wikipedia — Mahavira Janma KalyanakaInstitutional or scholarly
- Jain Tithi Darpan 2026, SongadhCommunity source
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