Jainism Tirthankar Timeline

Key descriptions of Jain cosmology are found in the Upāṅga Āgamas, particularly the Sūrya-prajñapti and Jambū-dvīpa-prajñapti. These ancient texts were compiled by the Śruta-kevalīs, who learned directly from Mahāvīra, the Omniscient. Many of the original manuscripts were destroyed over time due to invasions, including Aryan migrations and later Muslim invasions of India. However, this knowledge was preserved through oral tradition and the dedication of Jain followers.

According to Jain cosmology, time is bound in an infinite, oscillating pendulum known as kāla (time cycles), divided into ārās. There are six descending cycles, followed by six ascending cycles. After the sixth cycle, time reverses direction and progresses back toward the first, continuing endlessly.

Name of the Ara	Degree of happiness	Duration of Ara	Maximum height of people	Maximum lifespan of people
1. Suṣama-suṣamā	Utmost happiness and no sorrow	400 trillion sāgaropamas	Six miles tall	Three palyopam years
2. Suṣamā	Moderate happiness and no sorrow	300 trillion sāgaropamas	Four miles tall	Two palyopam years
3. Suṣama-duḥṣamā	Happiness with very little sorrow	200 trillion sāgaropamas	Two miles tall	One palyopam years
4. Duḥṣama-suṣamā	Happiness with little sorrow	100 trillion sāgaropamas	1,500 meters	84 lakh purva[note 2] (592.704 quintillion years)
5. Duḥṣamā	Sorrow with very little happiness	21,000 years	7 hatha (10.5 feet)	120 years
6. Duḥṣama- duḥṣamā	Extreme sorrow and misery	21,000 years	1 hatha (1.5 feet)	20 years

We are currently in the 5th cycle, and as you can see, the maximum age defined in our scriptures is 120 years, which has now also been scientifically established as the upper limit of human lifespan.

All Jain Tirthankaras existed during the 4th kala. The 3rd kala was the era of the Kalpa Vriksha. King Nabhi and Marudevi were the first civilized king at the end of the 4th kala. Nabhi dev taught agriculture to humans to start urban civilization. Nabhi Dev is considered the founder of the Ikshvaku dynasty—the lineage of Lord Rama—and 22 of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras were born into this same lineage. Hindus later referred to this lineage as the Surya Vansh, as Bharat assimilated Vedic traditions that also revered the Sun as a deity.

4th kala ended with Last Kevali: Muni Bhadrabahu after renunciation of King Chandra Gupta Mourya:

Bhadrabahu foot prints

Bhadrabahu foot prints

 

 Here is timeline of Tirthankaras according to Jain cosmology:

There several "repeating" numbers in Jain mathematics: 9, 108, 1008, 84 lakh etc.

If I estimate timeline of Jain tirthankaras with 1008 years between each tirthankara life, It puts Adinath at 24000 BCE, which is about time when ICE age ended and settlements flourished around the world. What will amaze you is that Human population around world at time was approx. 84 lack = 8.4Million!

Here is approximate timeline I have put together making different interpretations:

Key Events	Approx Dates
Start of 4th kala	24296 BCE
King Nabhi & Marudevi	24296 BCE
Rishabhanatha (Adinatha)	24266 BCE
Ajitanatha	23258 BCE
Sambhavanatha	22250 BCE
Abhinandananatha	21242 BCE
Sumatinatha	20234 BCE
Padmaprabha	19226 BCE
Suparshvanatha	18218 BCE
Chandraprabha	17210 BCE
Pushpadanta (Suvidhinath)	16202 BCE
Shitalanatha	15194 BCE
Shreyanasanatha	14186 BCE
Vasupujya	13178 BCE
Vimalanatha	12170 BCE
Anantanatha	11162 BCE
Dharmanatha	10154 BCE
Shantinatha	9146 BCE
Kunthunatha	8138 BCE
Aranatha	7130 BCE
Māllīnātha	6122 BCE
Rama birth	5114 BCE
Munisuvrata Swami	5114 BCE
Naminath	4106 BCE
Mahabharta	3102 BCE
Neminath	3072 BCE
Parshava Nath	1832 BCE
Mahavira	599 BCE
Start of 5th kala	298 BCE
Last Kevali (Badhrabahu)	298 BCE

I’ve created the above timeline to provide a reference and align it with current archaeological findings and belief systems regarding the 'present' timeline. However, due to our limited understanding of the Atma's history within the cosmos and the insufficient state of Indian archaeology, we are unable to 'prove' Jain cosmology at this time. But with time, this understanding will grow. As Jain scriptures foretell, humanity will gradually forget the true history and path to moksha, as part of the dushma-dushma kala cycle. First, the Buddhas, then the Hindus, followed by the Muslims and the British, all overshadowed the teachings of the Jain Tirthankaras. Picking some of his teachings into their own religions.