» This article is about the Tirthankara of Jainism. For the Jain mathematician Mahavira Acharya, see Mahavira (mathematician). Mahavira (महावीर lit. Great Hero) (599 – 527 BCE, though possibly 549 – 477 BCE) is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana (Sanskrit: वर्धमान "increasing") who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. Acco… (More on Mahavira)