Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.13

c5.13

Then the traditional list is given of the twenty three Tirthankaras². It is curious to note, however, that most of the Tirthankaras have been assigned to the Ikṣvāku family and are said to have attained salvation at the mountain Sammeya (modern Parasnath Hill in Hazaribagh District). So far no historical evidences have come forth to warrant the historical existence of the first twenty two Tirthankaras, on the other hand, taking into consideration the long duration of their careers and the intermediate periods between each Tirthankara, they appear to be legendary figures introduced perhaps to balance the number of Jinas with the number of the Buddhas.