Question

Mahavira was the prince of the _____________.
A) Lichchhavis
B) Lumbini
C) Kusinara
D) Magadha

Answer 1

Hint: Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana, was Jainism's 24th Tirthankara. He was the spiritual heir of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara. Mahavira was born into a noble Jain family in Bihar, India, in the early sixth century BCE. Trishala was his mother's name, and Siddhartha was his father's.

Complete answer:
Mahavira was born in northeast India as Vardhamana in 599 BCE (the conventional date, while some current researchers suggest 540 BCE or later). He was a prince, the son of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala, both of whom belonged to the Lichchhavis' Kshatriya (warrior) caste.

Mahavira attained Kevala Gyan after 12 and a half years of intensive meditation and severe austerities (omniscience). He preached for 30 years and was saved in the 6th century BCE, however, the year varies per sect. Mahavira was an older contemporary of Gautama Buddha, who advocated Jainism in ancient India.

Mahavira taught that spiritual emancipation requires observation of the vows of ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity), and aparigraha (non-attachment). He taught the syadvada and nayavada principles of Anekantavada (many-sided reality). Indrabhuti Gautama (his principal pupil) codified Mahavira's teachings as the Jain Agamas. The scriptures, which were passed down orally by Jain monks, are thought to have been lost by the 1st century CE (when the remaining were first written down in the Svetambara tradition). The surviving forms of Mahavira's Agamas are among the foundation texts of Svetambara Jainism; however, their legitimacy is questioned in Digambara Jainism.

Mahavira was the prince of the Lichchhavis. Therefore the correct answer is (A).

Note: Mahavira is frequently represented in a meditative pose, either seated or standing, with a lion emblem beneath him. His earliest iconography dates from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE and comes from archaeological sites in the North Indian city of Mathura.