Mahavir Jayanti is the biggest Jain festival celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira. Mahavira is believed to be the son of Siddhartha and Trisala. His birth year however is a matter of controversy between the two sects of Jainism. Digambaras believe it to be 615 BC while Swetambaras believe that Mahavira was born in 599 BC.

Jains visit the sacred sites and go on pilgrimages to holy places on this day and worship Teerthankars. The Mahavir Jayanthi celebration in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the ancient shrines at Girnar and Palitana; in Calcutta, the Parasnath temple; and at Pawapuri in Bihar holds a special significance. Mahavir was believed to be born at Kshatriyakund near modern Patna in Bihar to the religious king and queen and led the humanity to the path of true happiness. The auspicious occasion falls on the first day of Bhadrapad (according to the Hindu calenda) and a grand cradle procession is taken out on the streets on this day and there is a general celebration of the auspicious day. It is believed that Mahavira was born at four in the morning, a very auspicious time in Jainism and Hinduism and that at that exact moment, all life forms in all the three worlds were content and cheerful.