Munisuvrat

Munisuvrat was the 20th tirthankar of the Jain community. He was born to queen Padmavati, wife of King Sumitra of the Harivamh clan, on the ninth day of the dark half of the month of Jyeshta at Rajgriha. The king named the new born as Munisuvrat (vow like ascetics).

After a successful and long reign, Munisuvrat became an ascetic on the eighth day of the dark half of the month of Phalgun. He gained omniscience under a Champa tree after eleven months of spiritual practices.

Lord Munisuvrat had around 18 disciples. He took his last breath at Mount Parasnath (Samet Shikhar) in Jharkhand on the ninth day of the dark half of the month of Jyeshtha. His emblem is Tortoise.

The ascetic Vishnu Kumar, elder brother of Bahagavan Munisuvrat, also became famous for his pioneering effort of saving the Jain organization from the oppressions of mister Namuchi; the Raksha Bandhan festival is celebrated in the memory of that event.

[Source All India (121) 05-May-05]