Tirthankara

[1] The word tirthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha,[2] a fordable passage across saṃsāra, the sea of interminable birth and death.

According to Jains, tirthankaras are the supreme preachers of dharma, who have conquered saṃsāra on their own and made a path for others to follow.

[3] After understanding the true nature of the self or soul, the Tīrthaṅkara attains kevala jnana (omniscience).

[5] The first tirthankara in the present cycle (Hunda Avsarpini) was Rishabhanatha, who is credited with formulating and organising humans to live in a society harmoniously.

The higher the level of society's spiritual advancement and purity of mind, the lower the elaboration required.

[11] Tīrthaṅkaras are arihants who, after attaining kevala jñāna (pure infinite knowledge),[12] preach the dharma.

An Arihant is also called Jina (victor), one who has conquered inner enemies such as anger, attachment, pride, and greed.

The word tirthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha, a fordable passage across saṃsāra, the sea of interminable births and deaths.

The Tattvartha Sutra, a major Jain text, lists 16 observances that lead to the bandha (bondage) of this karma:[18] Five auspicious events called Pañca kalyāṇaka mark every tirthankara's life:[19] After attaining kevalajñāna, the tirthankara preaches the path to liberation in the samavasarana.

[26] In Jain tradition, the 20 tirthankaras attained moksha on Mount Shikharji, in the present Indian state of Jharkhand.

Twenty-one of the tirthankaras are said to have attained moksha in the kayotsarga (standing meditation posture), while Rishabhanatha, Neminatha, and Mahavira are said to have done so in the Padmasana (lotus position).

[33][34] The latter, which is similar to the military standing at attention, is a difficult posture to hold for long and is preferred by Jains because it minimizes the amount of the body in contact with the earth, and thus the risk to sentient creatures living in or on it.

[1] Tirthankara images have no distinctive facial features, clothing, or (mostly) hairstyles, and are differentiated based on the symbol or emblem (Lanchhana) belonging to each tirthanakara except Parshvanatha.

The ears are extremely elongated, alluding to the heavy earrings the figures wore in their early lives before they took the path to enlightenment, when most were wealthy, if not royal.