In Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana of which Tirthankara?

In Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana of Mahavira.

Mahavira is regarded by Jains as the 24th and final Tirthankara of the present cosmic age. Jain Diwali commemorates his final liberation, or moksha, at Pawapuri in present-day Bihar. In Jain thought, nirvana means that the soul has escaped the cycle of birth and death and attained its liberated state.

The festival is observed on the same general lunar occasion as Hindu Diwali, but its religious focus differs. Jains may visit temples, offer prayers, light lamps, recite scriptures, and present a ceremonial Nirvan Ladoo. The lights symbolize preserving or expressing the light of Mahavira’s knowledge after his physical passing.

The traditional date of Mahavira’s nirvana is often given as 527 BCE, especially in the Śvētāmbara tradition. Digambara tradition gives 510 BCE, and modern scholars note that details of Mahavira’s chronology remain debated. That dating dispute does not make the Tirthankara’s identity ambiguous: the answer is Mahavira.