Question

discus about Jainism and Buddhism in 500 words
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Answer 1

Jainism has great antiquity. According to the Jains their religion originated in the remotest ages. They believed that Mahavira, the last Tirthankara was preceded by twenty-three other prophets.

Mahavira was the twenty-fourth one. The historicity of the first twenty-two Tirthankaras starting from Rishabhnath to Neminath is doubtful. They are all shadowy figures wrapped up in mythology.

The twenty-third Tirthankar Parsvanath seems to be a historical personage. He was the son of king Asvasena of Benares who had abandoned the royal life to be a sage. His teachings gave a formal shape to Jainism.