Many scholars believe that Mahavira was born about 699 BCE. And that he and Gautama Buddha were contemporaries. Jainism and Buddhism both originated in Vaishali. Mahavira and Buddha both lived ...

Both are trying hard to win over the land where Buddha had delivered his last sermon, and which is also known as the birthplace of Lord Mahavira, the last Jain ‘Tirthankara’. While Lok ...

Jainism and Buddhism texts offer some clues. A Buddhist scripture, the Samannaphala Sutta, refers to Mahavira as a Sramana leader, demonstrating that Buddha was aware of him. The Sramanas were ...

Buddhism and Jainism grew out of this. Both Mahavira and Siddhartha preached non-violence and casteless societies; yet both did not claim that they were breaking away from the Aryan tradition.

Mahavira was a re-discoverer of Jainism rather than its founder. The ascetic culture, which gave rise to Jainism and Buddhism, had started developing in north India from the eighth century BCE.

The experience of physically travelling on the path the Buddha and Mahavira trod is extraordinary, indefinable. My trip to Bodh Gaya begins at the Delhi airport, much to my surprise. I am glancing ...