{{short description|19th tirthankara in Jainism}} {{for|the poet and critic|Mallinātha Sūri}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox deity | type = Jain | image = Tirthankar Mallinath.jpg | alt = Sri Mallinatha | caption = Idol of Mallinatha in female form at Keshavrai Patan, Rajasthan | venerated_in = Jainism | symbol = Kalasha{{sfn|Tandon|2002|p=45}} | color = Blue | father = Kumbha | mother = Prajnavati | height = 25 dhanusha (75 meters) | age = 56,000 | predecessor = Aranatha | successor = Munisuvrata | birth_place = Mithilapuri Jain Teerth, Mithila | gender = Male (Digambara) <br> Female (Shvetambara) | god_of = 19th Tirthankara | name = Mallinatha | moksha_place = Sammed Shikhar | dynasty = Somavaṁśa—Ikṣvākuvaṁśa }} {{Jainism}} '''Mallinatha''' (Prakrit ''Mallinātha'', Devanagari: मल्लिनाथ, Sanskrit: मल्लिनाथः, 'Lord of jasmine or seat') was the 19th tīrthaṅkara "ford-maker" of the present ''avasarpiṇī'' age in Jainism.
==In Jain history== [[File:Jain Universal History Diorama in Jain Museum Madhuban 20.jpg|thumb|A diorama in Jain Museum of Madhuban, Giridih depicting Mallinatha teaching six kings the futility of bodily beauty, as per Swetambara tradition.|left]] [[File:Mallinath Tonk, Shikharji.jpg|thumb|Mallinath Tonk on Shikharji from where Mallinatha attained Nirvana]] Jain texts indicate Mālliṇātha was born at Mithila into the Ikshvaku dynasty to King Kumbha and Queen Prajnavati.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}} Their height is mentioned as 25 dhanusha.{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}} ''Tīrthaṅkara Māllīnātha'' lived for over 56,000 years, out of which 54,800 years less six days, was with omniscience (Kevala Jnana).{{sfn|Vijay K. Jain|2015|p=203}} They were said to have lived for 55,000 years by other authors.{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}}
Mallinatha is believed to be a woman named Malli Devi by Shvetambara Jains while the Digambara sect believes all 24 tirthankara to be men including Māllīnātha. Digambara tradition believes a woman can reach to the 16th heaven and can attain liberation only being reborn as a man. Digambara tradition says Mallinatha was a son born in a royal family, and worships Mallinatha as a male.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=56}}{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|pp=159–160}} However, the Shvetambara tradition of Jainism states that Māllīnātha was female with a name Mallivati.{{sfn|Vallely|2002|p=15}}{{sfn|Vyas|1995|p=19}}
According to Jain beliefs, Mālliṇātha became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma.{{sfn|Jaini|1998|p=40n}}
Mallinatha is said to have been born 1,000 ''crore'' less 6,584,000 years after their predecessor, Aranatha.{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}} Their successor, Munisuvrata, is said to have been born 54 ''lakh'' years after them.{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}}
==Sectarian dispute on gender== The gender of Mallinatha constitutes one of the most fundamental theological divisions between the two major Jain sects.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=49}} The {{lang|sa|Śvētāmbara}} tradition firmly maintains that Mallinatha was a woman named Mallī.{{sfn|Jaini|2018|p=1}} According to {{lang|sa|Śvētāmbara}} texts, in a previous incarnation as a king named Mahabala, Mallinatha engaged in deceit ({{lang|sa|maya}}) by secretly outperforming friends in ascetic fasting.{{sfn|Jaini|2018|p=14}} This {{lang|sa|karmic}} deceit resulted in rebirth with female physiology ({{lang|sa|stri-veda}}), while the simultaneous accumulation of immense spiritual merit ({{lang|sa|tirthankara-nama-karma}}) resulted in the destiny of a {{lang|sa|tirthankara}}.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=50}} The {{lang|sa|Śvētāmbara}} sect heavily utilizes this narrative to assert that women are fully capable of attaining ultimate spiritual liberation ({{lang|sa|moksha}}).{{sfn|Vallely|2002|p=11}}
Conversely, the {{lang|sa|Digambara}} tradition vehemently rejects this narrative, asserting that Mallinatha was male.{{sfn|Jaini|2018|p=3}} {{lang|sa|Digambara}} theology dictates that complete non-attachment ({{lang|sa|aparigraha}}) requires absolute monastic nudity, a practice strictly prohibited for women in traditional Jain monastic codes.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=55}} Consequently, {{lang|sa|Digambara}} scholars argue that female biology and societal restrictions inherently prevent the attainment of the final stages of spiritual purity, making a female {{lang|sa|tirthankara}} an ontological impossibility.{{sfn|Jaini|2018|p=32}} Therefore, {{lang|sa|Digambara}} texts, universal histories, and iconography consistently depict Mallinatha as a male figure.{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|p=156}}
==Literature== #Jnatrdharmakathah gives the story of Lord Mallinath, which is said to be composed by Ganadhara Sudharmaswami.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} #''Mallinathapurana'' was written by Nagachandra in 1105 CE.{{Sfn|Ashton|1976|p=20}}
==Main temples== Mallinatha is highly venerated by both major Jain traditions, resulting in the construction of numerous historically and architecturally significant temple complexes across the Indian subcontinent.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=40}} In South India, the Mannargudi Mallinatha Swamy Jain Temple in Tamil Nadu stands as one of the most prominent historical shrines dedicated to this specific {{lang|sa|tirthankara}}.{{sfn|Titze|Bruhn|1998|p=122}} Constructed during the era of the Chola Empire, this ancient temple features classic Dravidian architecture and serves as a crucial religious center for the regional Tamil Jain community.{{sfn|Titze|Bruhn|1998|p=122}} Further west in Karnataka, the Chaturmukha Basadi in Karkala is a renowned late 16th-century stone monument.{{sfn|Michell|1990|p=320}} Completed in 1586 CE, this symmetrical, four-faced temple prominently enshrines life-size idols of Mallinatha alongside the {{lang|sa|tirthankaras}} Aranatha and Munisuvrata, facing all four cardinal directions.{{sfn|Michell|1990|p=320}}<ref>{{citation |last=Sandhya |first=C D’Souza |title=Chaturmukha Basadi: Four doors to divinity Last updated |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/114327/chaturmukha-basadi-four-doors-divinity.html |publisher=Deccan Herald |date=19 November 2010 }}</ref>
In western India, the Shri Mallinath Jain Derasar located in Bhoyani, Gujarat, operates as a major regional pilgrimage center, particularly for the {{lang|sa|Śvētāmbara}} sect.{{sfn|Cort|2001a|p=145}} This temple complex houses a highly revered white marble idol of Mallinatha seated in the traditional lotus position ({{lang|sa|padmasana}}).{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|p=156}} According to regional historical records, this primary deity was discovered submerged in a well during the mid-19th century, prompting the immediate construction of the surrounding temple infrastructure to accommodate visiting pilgrims.{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|p=156}} Additionally, the ancient city of Mithila, traditionally identified in Jain universal history as Mallinatha's royal birthplace, remains a foundational point of sacred geography and a site of continuous devotional reverence.{{sfn|Natubhai Shah|2004|p=16}}
<gallery> File:Chaturmukha Basadi.jpg|Chaturmukha Basadi File:Mannargudi Mallinatha Swamy Temple.png|Mannargudi Mallinatha Swamy Temple File:Jain Mandir from Hilltop - panoramio.jpg|Mallinath Temple, Kosbad </gallery>
==See also== {{commons category|Mallinātha}} * God in Jainism * Jainism and non-creationism
==References== === Citations === {{reflist|30em}}
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{{Jain Gods}} {{Jainism topics}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallinatha}} Category:Tirthankaras Category:Jainism in Mithila