Mahavira's Nirvana and the Spread of Jainism

Timeline

1. c. -527Pava · BiharMahavira attained final liberation (nirvana) through meditation at Pava, ending more than thirty years of wandering and preaching; the Jain tradition takes this year as the starting point of its era reckoning.
2. c. -527–-500Northern India · IndiaDisciples convened religious councils at Pataliputra and elsewhere; the orally transmitted teachings gradually took shape as the twelve limbs (angas), the Digambara and Śvetambara sects emerged, and Jainism spread widely among merchant communities and in cities.