Kunthunatha

Kunthunath was the seventeenth Tirthankara, sixth Chakravartin^[3] and twelfth Kamadeva of the present half time cycle, Avasarpini.^[1][4] According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Kunthunatha was born to King Surya (Sura)^[1] and Queen Shridevi at Hastinapur^[3] in the Ikshvaku dynasty on the fourteenth day of the Vaishakh Krishna month of the Indian calendar.^[4]

Kunthu means heap of Jewels.^[3]

According to the Jain belief, he was born in 27,695,000 BC. His height is mentioned as 35 dhanusha.^[5] Like all other Chakravartin, he also conquered all the lands^[3] 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 of 95,000 years he liberated his soul and attained Moksha on Mount Shikharji.^[3][5]

Kunthanatha is said to have been born 1/2 palya after his predecessor, Shantinatha.^[5] His successor, Aranatha, is said to have been born 1/4 palya less 6,000 crore years after him.^[5]

As the 17th tirthankara, Kunthunatha is widely venerated across the Indian subcontinent, resulting in the construction of several significant historical monuments dedicated to his worship.^[6] In northern India, the ancient city of Hastinapur is traditionally recognized in Jain universal history as his royal birthplace, making the city's Prachin Bada Mandir a major pilgrimage center for his devotees.^[7] In western India, a prominent 15th-century Śvētāmbara temple dedicated specifically to Kunthunatha is located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan, which is highly renowned for its intricate stone carvings.^[8]

In southern India, the Ganigitti Jain temple in Hampi, Karnataka, stands as a major 14th-century architectural monument dedicated to him.^[9] Constructed in 1385 CE during the Vijayanagara Empire by the military commander Iruguppa, this Dravidian-style temple features a prominent stone inscription explicitly dedicating the primary sanctuary to Kunthunatha.^[10] Finally, marking the geographic site of his ultimate spiritual liberation (moksha), a dedicated shrine (tonk) enshrining his footprints is actively venerated by pilgrims on the peaks of Mount Shikharji in modern-day Jharkhand.^[11]

• Chaubisi of Kunthunatha, Chaubisi of Kunthunatha at National Museum, New Delhi, 15th century
• Prachin Bada Mandir, Hastinapur
• Kunthunath Temple, Madhuban

• God in Jainism
• Arihant (Jainism)
• Jainism and non-creationism

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