Shankha Conch

Description of Shankha Conch

Neminatha is the twenty-second Tirthankara in Jainism, and the conch is his symbol. He was the youngest of the royal couple, Samudravijaya and Shivadevi. A common theme in Jain art is the story of Neminatha, who, upon hearing the screams of animals being slaughtered for the wedding feast, abandoned his bride, let free the captive animals, and renounced the world to become a monk. He had reached moksha on the Girnar Hills, a Jains’ pilgrimage site. Neminatha’s yaksha and yakshi are Sarvanha, Ambika, Gomedha, and Ambika. Neminatha is one of the twenty-four Tirthankaras that the Jains revere with the greatest devotion, along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha, and Rishabhanatha.

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Jain main description

Jainism Symbols

With its roots in India at least 2,500 years ago, Jainism is among the world's oldest religions. The teachings of Jainism are eternal, and as a result, according to its traditions, it has no creator. However, the Jainism of this era may be traced back to Mahavira, a teacher from the sixth century BCE and a contemporary of the Buddha. The attainment of Moksha, or the all-knowing state, is the spiritual goal of Jainism. It involves being freed from the never-ending cycle of reincarnation. This can be accomplished through Ahimsa (nonviolence).  Like Buddhists, Jainists honor saints who have attained total liberation from the bonds of worldly life. The 24 Tirthankaras, who symbolize the apex of the Jains' religious development and emerged as instructors at various points in history, are the most significant of them. The Tirthankaras, along with 12 Chakravartins (world conquerors), nine Vasudevas (counterparts of Vasudeva), and nine Baladevas (counterparts of Balarama, the elder half-brother of Krishna) constitute the 54 Mahapurusas (great souls), to which nine Prativasudevas (enemies of the Vasudevas) were later added. Other, less significant characters with Hindu influences include the nine Naradas (counterparts of the goddess Narada, the intermediary between gods and humans), the eleven Rudras (counterparts of the Vedic god Rudra), and the twenty-four Kamadevas (gods of love). The Bhavanavasis (house gods), Vyantaras (intermediaries), Jyotiskas (luminaries), and Vaimanikas (astral gods) are the other four categories of gods. Here is a list of some significant Jain Symbols with their details.