Many historians believe that Jainism and other hermit schools were simply a reaction to Vedic ritualism. But for most Jains, their religion has no origin: it has always been around. Jainism was rediscovered by Rishabh-dev, the first Tirthankar of this era. Rishabh's eldest son, Bharat, became Chakravarti, king of kings, and gave the country its name. Bahubali, Bharat's younger brother, renounced violence and followed the Jain path of freedom. Rishabh was followed by twenty-three other Tirthankars. The last of them was Mahavir, who lived around 2,500 years ago. In Bahubali, Devdutt Pattanaik explores the stories, symbols, rituals and ideas associated with one of India's most ancient but lesser-known faiths, and shows us why the tenets of Jainism are still very relevant to all of us even today.
