Understanding Jain Calendar 2024

In Jainism, people are very particular about the dates of various important festivals and fasts. We provide you with a thorough guide that will give you all the major details about the Jain calendar 2024 so you know exactly what’s coming up. The Jain calendar, also known as the Jain Panchang, has been used for centuries by Jains worldwide to determine auspicious days and important religious events.

Jain Calendar 2024: Important Holidays and Festivals

The Jain Calendar 2024 comes in handy when people search for accurate dates for auspicious timings or Tithi in the Jain religion. Let's have a look at the Jain festival list for 2024.

Jain Calendar 2024: January

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
7 January, SundayParshwanath Jayanti
14 January, SundayYatindra Sureshwar Day / Triastuti
17 January, WednesdayShri Rajendra Sureshwar Day
21 January, SundayRohini Fast

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Jain Calendar 2024: February

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
7 February, WednesdaySheetalnath Janm Tap
8 February, ThursdayMeru Trayodashi/Adinath Nirvan Kalnayak
9 February, FridayRishabhdev Moksha
14 February, WednesdayDaslakshan
16 February, FridayMaryada Mahotsav
18 February, SundayRohini Fast
23 February, FridayShri Jitendra Rath Yatra, Daslakshan

Jain Calendar 2024: March

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
17 March, SundayAshtanika Start
25 March, MondayAshtanika End

Jain Calendar 2024: April

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
02 April, TuesdayYearly Tap Starts
13 April, SaturdayDaslakshan
15 April, MondayAyambil Oli
21 April, SundayMahavir Jayanti
22 April, MondayDaslakshan
23 April, TuesdayAyambil Oli

Jain Calendar 2024: May

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
18 May, SaturdayShri Mahavir Swami Kaivalya Gyan Day
24 May, FridayJayestha Jinvar

Jain Calendar 2024: June

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
3 June, MondayShri Anantnath Janam Tap
6 June, ThursdayRohini Fast
22 June, SaturdayJyestha Jinvar Vrat

Jain Calendar 2024: July

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
14 July, SundayAshtanika
20 July, SundayChaumasi Chaudas
20 July, SundayAshtanika

Jain Calendar 2024: August

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
11 August, SundayParshwanath Moksha

Jain Calendar 2024: September

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
3 September, TuesdaySamvatsari
4 September, WednesdayKalpasutra Paath
5 September, ThursdayTaildhar Taap
8 September, SundayShrmawani Parwa / Daslakshan
17 September, TuesdayDaslakshan

Jain Calendar 2024: October

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
9 October, WednesdayAyambil Oli
17 October, ThursdayAyambil Oli
30 October, WednesdayShri Padma Prabhu Birth Tap

Jain Calendar 2024: November

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
1 November, FridayMahavir Nirvan/Lakshmi Puja
2 November, SaturdayGujarati New Year
6 November, WednesdayGyan Panchami/Saubhagya Panchami
8 November, FridayAshtanika/Kartik Ashtanika
Vidhan Purna/Kartik Rath Yatra
14 November, ThursdayKartik Chaumasi Chaudas
15 November, FridayAshtanika/Ashtanika
Vidhan Purna/Kartak/ Karik Rath Yatra
17 November, SundayRohini Fast
25 November, MondayMahavir Swami Diksha

Jain Calendar 2024: December

Jain Tithi / DayJain Festival Name
11 December, WednesdayMauni Ekadashi
14 December, SaturdayRohini Fast

Jain Calendar 2024: Months and Duration

In 2024, there are many significant Jain festivals and fasts to be aware of. Some of the most important ones are Mahavir Jayanti, Akshay Tritiya, Paryushan Parva, and Diwali. This guide will give you the dates for all major Jain religious days in 2024 according to the Vira Nirvana Samvat Era (an era which begins in 527 BCE in the Śvetāmbara tradition or 662 BCE according to the Digambara Jains) as well as the Vikram Samvat Era (an era which started in 57 B.C as per the Jain book Kālakācāryakathā).

Using this, people plan their celebrations and observances well in advance and also note important dates in the Jain Festival list. Getting information on the Jain calendar and understanding the meaning behind the various Jain festival 2024 is a great way to strengthen your faith and community connections.

The Jain calendar has a long and rich history dating back over 2,500 years. It is based on the teachings of the Tirthankaras or Jain Gurus, starting with Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. The calendar follows the lunar calendar but adds an extra month every three years to sync the lunar and solar calendars. Therefore, it becomes a lunisolar calendar.

The Jain calendar calculates the time in two eras:

  • The Vikram era: It was founded by King Vikramāditya after he gained victory over the Śakas and when the Jain acharya Siddhasena Divakara converted Vikramaditya to Jainism
  • The Nirvana era: It marks the Nirvana (moksha) of Lord Mahavira. Years in the Vikram era are marked as Vikram Samvat (VS), and years in the Nirvana era are marked as Vira Nirvana Samvat (VNS).

The Jain calendar has 12 months, and each month has two halves, the bright half and the dark half, based on the phases of the moon.

The months are as follows:

Month No.Month NameDuration
1.Chaitramid-March to mid-April
2.Vaishakhamid-April to mid-May
3.Jyaishthamid-May to mid-June
4.Ashadhamid-June to mid-July
5.Shravanamid-July to mid-August
6.Bhadrapadamid-August to mid-September
7.Ashwinmid-September to mid-October
8.Kartikamid-October to mid-November
9.Margashirshamid-November to mid-December
10.Paushamid-December to mid-January
11.Maghamid-January to mid-February
12.Phalgunamid-February to mid-March

Major Jain Festival 2024

The list of Jain Festival name is not just a time of celebration for the Jain people but also a reminder to live a life that is truthful, disciplined and avoids evil thoughts and deeds. Some of the major Jain festival 2024, celebrated all across the world, are listed below.

Mahavir Jayanti

Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism, will be celebrated on April 4th, 2024. On this auspicious day, Jains take out grand processions, sing devotional songs, and meditate. Temples are beautifully decorated. Many Jains observe a fast to commemorate the birth of Lord Mahavira.

Navpad Oli

This 9-day festival in July or August is devoted to the “Navapada” or “nine posts of the universe” and happens twice a year. During this time, devoted Jains observe fasting and prayer focused on meditating over the nine supreme parts of the universe - (1) Arihants, (2) Siddhas, (3) Acharyas, (4) Upadhyays, (5) Sadhus/Sadhvis, (6) Samyak Darshan, (7) Samyak Gyan, (8) Samyak Charitra, and (9) Samyak Tap.

Akshay Tritiya

Akshay Tritiya falls on April 28th, 2024. On this day, Jains break their fast by charitable acts like donating food, clothes or money to the needy. New start-ups, investments and weddings are started on this day as it is considered very auspicious. Working people religiously will look forward to this Jain festival 2024.

Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima falls in the month of July. Based on the Jain calendar 2024, this time, it will happen on 21 July 2024, Sunday, the month of Ashadha. It is one of the most looked-upon events on the Jain festival list and is a day to celebrate all spiritual Gurus and academic teachers. Moreover, it occurs on a full moon day.

Paryushan Parva

The festival of Paryushan Parva, also known as Dashlakshana Parva, will begin on August 26th and end on September 2nd, 2024. It is the most important Jain festival where Jains fast, meditate and focus on self-purification. The last day of Paryushan is called Samvatsari, where Jains ask for forgiveness from all living beings.

Das Lakshan Parva

Immediately following Paryushan Parva, Das Lakshan Parva is a 10-day festival celebrating the 10 virtues of the Jain monks: peace, non-attachment, celibacy (being unmarried), austerity ( sanyasi or living with worldly pleasures), surrender, non-stealing, non-possessiveness, truthfulness, straight-forwardness and non-anger. It ends on Ananta Chaturdashi, devoted to Anantnath, the 14th Tirthankara, the highly regarded teacher who has attained great spiritual knowledge. For the Jain monks, this is a great time

Diwali

Diwali, the festival of lights, will be celebrated on October 27th, 2024. Jains celebrate Diwali as the day Lord Mahavira attained moksha or nirvana. Temples and Jain homes are lit up with lamps and diyas. Jains also burst firecrackers and distribute sweets. Some Jains observe a fast on Diwali.

Kartik Purnima

Just after 15 days of Diwali comes the Kartik Purnima festival. This festival is also known as Dev Deepawali, which means “the Gods’ festival of lights”. During this, the ghats or riversides, especially in Varanasi, are decorated with thousands of lights. This is done to welcome the Gods and goddesses who are believed to arrive on Earth on this day.

Calculation of The Jain Calendar

By following the position of astronomical bodies like the sun, moon and planets, the Jain calendar is calculated systematically based on the lunar month, solar year, weekdays, zodiac signs and Tithis. This results in a comprehensive and accurate religious calendar for Jains to determine auspicious days and festivals.

It follows the following key steps:

  1. Lunar Month

The Jain calendar follows the lunar month, starting from the first day after the new moon, called the Krishna Paksha. Each lunar month has two parts - the bright half, when the moon is waxing, is called Shukla Paksha, and the dark half, when the moon is waning, is called Krishna Paksha. There are 12 lunar months in the Jain calendar, with 30 days in each month.

  1. Solar Year

The Jain calendar also follows the solar year, which starts on the Kartik Sukla 1. The solar year has 12 months with the 5 seasonal months - Hemant, Shishir, Basant, Grishma and Varsha. Each season has 2 months. The solar year has 365 days normally, but in leap years, an extra month is added.

  1. Weekdays

The Jain calendar has 7 weekdays - Adityavara for Sunday, Somavara for Monday, Mangalavara for Tuesday, Budhavara for Wednesday, Guruvara for Thursday, Shukravara for Friday and Shanivara for Saturday.

  1. Zodiac Signs

The zodiac signs or Rashis in Jainism are Mesh, Vrashabh, Mithun, Kark, Singh, Kanya, Tula, Vrishchik, Dhanu, Makar, Kumbh and Meen. These zodiac signs are associated with different Jain months and the individuals born under each of them.

  1. Tithi

A Tithi is a lunar day in the Jain calendar. There are 15 Tithis in the Shukla Paksha and 15 in Krishna Paksha. 2 Tithis make one day and night.

  1. Year Names

Every year in the Jain calendar has a name like Vikram Samvat, Anand Samvat etc. The current year (2024) in the Jain calendar is Vikram Samvat 2081. This is quite accurate when you need to find today Jain festival.

Significance of the Jain Calendar 2024

The Jain calendar is calculated by Jain monks and scholars and published annually. It includes information on sunrise/sunset, lunar days, religious festivals, and fasting days. The Jain calendar plays an important role in the daily lives of Jains by helping determine religious festivals, fasts, and other auspicious days and times. Understanding the Jain calendar provides insight into an integral part of Jain culture, identity and tradition.

Using the Jain Calendar 2024, people of the Jain religion can easily keep a check on today Jain festival as well as tomorrow and the upcoming. This ensures that they are well-prepared with all the preparations necessary for the festivals that are going to arrive. This not only allows for preserving the cultural history but also promotes community bonding.

Moreover, fasting is of great significance in Jainism, and many Jain festival name have a link to keeping fast for a while in order to receive blessings of the Gods. Hence, people in the Jain religion must be looking forward to the Jain Calendar 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Jain calendar is a lunisolar calendar. Here, months and dates are decided on the position of the Moon, and then, an extra month is added every 3 years to sync it with the Sun’s position. This way, the date or tithi is for the moon’s phase, and the season indicates the solar year.
Jain Calendar is calculated keeping in mind all religious Jain festival. The year is based on the sync of the Solar and Lunar seasons, while the tithi, days or dates are based on the Lunar calendar parts - the lunar day (bright half) and the lunar fortnight (dark half).
According to Jain spiritual texts, on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Chaitra in the year 599 BCE (Chaitra Sud 13), Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara and the founder of Jainism.
Paryushana Parva is the main festival of the Jains. All Jain monks and followers of Jainism keep fast and ask their deity to forgive them for all their sins and purify their souls. As per the Jain Calendar, it will start on August 26th and end on September 2nd, 2024.
Kartak or Kartik Purnima happens on the fifteenth lunar day of the Full Moon or Purnima month, that is, 15 days after Diwali. According to the Jain Festival 2024 list, it will fall on 15th November, Friday.
The months in a Jain calendar are – Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyaishtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadrapada, Ashwin, Kartika, Margashirsh, Pausha, Magha and Phalguna.
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