Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

Aranatha

Aranath(Arnath) was the eighteenth Jain Tirthankar of the present half cycle of time (Avasarpini). He was also the eighth Chakravartin and thirteenth Kamadeva. According to Jain beliefs, he was born around 16,585,000 BCE. He became a siddha i.e. a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karmas. Aranath was born to King Sudarshana and Queen Devi (Mitra) at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date was the tenth day of the Migsar Krishna month of the Indian calendar.

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Aranatha
18th Tirthankara, 7th Chakravarti, and 13th Kamadeva
Shri Aranatha bhagwan, Amritsar, Punjab
The idol of Tirthankara Aranatha in a Jinalaya at Amritsar,Punjab
Venerated inJainism
PredecessorKunthunatha
SuccessorMallinatha
SymbolFish 1
Height30 bows (90 metres)
Age84,000+
ColorGolden
Genealogy
Born
Hastinapur
Died
Sammed Shikhar
Parents
  • Sudarśana (father)
  • Mitrādevī (mother)
DynastyKuruvaṁśa—Ikṣvākuvaṁśa

Aranath(Arnath) was the eighteenth Jain Tirthankar of the present half cycle of time (Avasarpini).2 He was also the eighth Chakravartin3 and thirteenth Kamadeva. According to Jain beliefs, he was born around 16,585,000 BCE. He became a siddha i.e. a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karmas. Aranath was born to King Sudarshana and Queen Devi (Mitra) at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty.2 His birth date was the tenth day of the Migsar Krishna month of the Indian calendar.

Life

Aranatha's height is mentioned as 30 dhanusha.4 Like all other Chakravartin, he also conquered all the lands3 and went to write his name on the foothills of mountains. Seeing the names of other Chakravartin already there, he saw his ambitions dwarfed. He then renounced his throne and became an ascetic for penance.3 At an age over 84,000 years he and attained Moksha (liberation) on Mount Shikharji.34

Aranatha is said to have been born 1/4 palya less 6,000 crore years after his predecessor, Kunthunatha.4 His successor, Mallinatha, is said to have been born 1,000 crore less 6,584,000 years after him.4

Worship

Svayambhūstotra by Acarya Samantabhadra is the adoration of twenty-four tirthankaras. Twenty slokas (aphorisms) of Svayambhūstotra are dedicated to Tirthankar Aranath.5 One such sloka is:

O Passionless Lord Aranatha! Your physical form which is free from all vestiges of ornaments, clothes and weapons, and the embodiment of unalloyed knowledge, control of the senses, and benevolence, is a clear indication that you have vanquished all blemishes.

— Svayambhustotra (18-2-12)6

As a historical figure

At Mathura, there is an old stupa with the inscription of 157 CE. This inscription records that an image of the tīrthankara Aranath was set up at the stupa built by the gods. However, Somadeva Suri stated in Yashstilaka and Jinaprabha Suri in Vividha Tirtha Kalpa that the stupa was erected for Suparśvanātha.7

Temples

As the 18th tirthankara, Aranatha is venerated across the Indian subcontinent with several historically and regionally significant temple complexes dedicated to him.8 The ancient city of Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, traditionally identified in Jain universal history as his royal birthplace, serves as a primary center for his worship.9 Within this city, the Digamber Jain Mandir Hastinapur stands as a highly revered Digambara temple complex that prominently features his idols and commemorates his early life and renunciation.9 In South India, the renowned late 16th-century Chaturmukha Basadi in Karkala, Karnataka, is heavily associated with his veneration.1011 Completed in 1586 CE, this fully symmetrical stone temple enshrines life-size idols of Aranatha, alongside the tirthankaras Mallinatha and Munisuvrata, facing all four cardinal directions.10

In western India, the Navagarh Tirth located in Maharashtra operates as a major regional pilgrimage site dedicated specifically to his worship.1 Finally, marking the geographic site of his ultimate spiritual liberation (moksha), a dedicated shrine (tonk) enshrining his footprints (charan) is actively worshipped by pilgrims on the peaks of Mount Shikharji in Jharkhand.12

  • Chaturmukha basadi (Karnataka) dedicated to Tirthankara Aranath
    Chaturmukha basadi (Karnataka) dedicated to Tirthankara Aranath
  • Jain temple dedicated to Tirthankar Aranath
    Jain temple dedicated to Tirthankar Aranath
  • Prachin Bada Mandir, Hastinapur
    Prachin Bada Mandir, Hastinapur
  • Footprints at Aranath Tonk, Shikhar Ji
    Footprints at Aranath Tonk, Shikhar Ji
See also

See also

References

References

Citations

  1. Tandon 2002, p. 45.
  2. Tukol 1980, p. 31.
  3. von Glasenapp 1999, p. 308.
  4. Finegan 1952, p. 190.
  5. Vijay K. Jain 2015, p. 118-129.
  6. Vijay K. Jain 2015, p. 122.
  7. Jain 2009, p. 77.
  8. Dundas 2002, p. 40.
  9. Titze & Bruhn 1998, p. 136.
  10. Michell 1990, p. 320.
  11. Sandhya, C D’Souza (19 November 2010), "Chaturmukha Basadi: Four doors to divinity Last updated", Deccan Herald
  12. Cort 2001a, p. 23.

Sources