Anantnath

Anantnath (Thanks Padmaraj)

Anantnath was the fourteenth Tirthankara of Jainism.

Mythology

Anantnath was born to Ikshvaku clan king Simhasena and queen Suyasa in Ayodhya. Anantnath was a Siddha Purusha, who got freed from the shackles of karma and attained liberation on mount Shikharji in the state of Jharkhand, India.

Previous Birth

King of Arishtha town in Dhatkikhand was loved by all women for his beauty, personality and courage. However, he took initiation from Acharya Chitraaksh for his passion towards spiritual practices and got purified the soul. Because of this, he reincarnated in the Pushpotar dimension of Gods. From there, the soul travelled to the earth to reach the womb of queen Suyasa for taking birth as Tirthankara and attained the liberation.

Labels

• Body colour: Golden brown
• Symbol: Porcupine
• Tree: Peepal
• Height: 50 Dhanusha (150 m)
• Hand: 200 hands.
• Age at the time of liberation: 30 lakh years
• First meal: Given by King Vishakh of Saketpur (Kheer)
• Chief Disciples (Gandhars): 50 (Shri Jaya)
• Yaksha: Kinnar Dev
• Yakshini: Anantmati Devi

Literature

Janna wrote the Ananthapurana in 1200 C.E.

Temples

• Lord Anantnath temple at Kalpetta, Wayanad district of Kerala.
• Lord Anantnath Temple at Madhuban

References

• https://en.encyclopediaofjainism.com/index.php/14._Anantnath_Swami
• http://jainmuseum.com/history-of-anantnath-bhagwan.htm