Who are the 24 Tirthankaras?

In Jain tradition, the 24 Tirthankaras are spiritual teachers who have attained liberation and help others cross the cycle of birth and death. They appear in every half-cycle of time called avasarpini. The current avasarpini features these 24 Tirthankaras in the following order:

1. Rishabhanatha (Adinatha) – emblem: bull
2. Ajitanatha – emblem: elephant
3. Sambhavanatha – emblem: horse
4. Abhinandananatha – emblem: monkey
5. Sumatinatha – emblem: heron/curlew
6. Padmaprabha – emblem: red lotus
7. Suparshvanatha – emblem: swastika
8. Chandraprabha – emblem: crescent moon
9. Pushpadanta (Suvidhinatha) – emblem: crocodile
10. Shitalanatha – emblem: shrivatsa
11. Shreyanasanatha – emblem: rhinoceros
12. Vasupujya – emblem: buffalo
13. Vimalanatha – emblem: boar
14. Anantanatha – emblem: falcon
15. Dharmanatha – emblem: vajra (thunderbolt)
16. Shantinatha – emblem: deer
17. Kunthunatha – emblem: goat
18. Aranatha – emblem: nandyavarta/fish
19. Mallinatha – emblem: water pot
20. Munisuvrata – emblem: tortoise
21. Naminatha – emblem: blue lotus
22. Neminatha (Aristanemi) – emblem: conch
23. Parshvanatha – emblem: serpent
24. Mahavira (Vardhamana) – emblem: lion

The first Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha, is considered the originator of human civilization, while the last three—Neminatha, Parshvanatha, and Mahavira—are historically well documented. Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, is the most recent and the founder of the modern Jain community.