Pāvāpurī
Where Mahāvīra attained nirvāṇa, on the new-moon night of Kārttika that Dīpāvalī still keeps, and where Gautama attained omniscience the same night.
The Kalpasūtra places Mahāvīra's last rainy season at Pāpā, in the scribes' hall of King Hastipāla, and his nirvāṇa there at its end. The eighteen confederate kings of Kāśī and Kośala, it says, lit lamps because the light of knowledge had gone out; the lamps are Dīpāvalī. Indrabhūti Gautama, his first disciple, attained omniscience that same night.
The Jal Mandir stands in a lotus tank on the spot the tradition holds as the place of his nirvāṇa. The identification with Pawapuri is the tradition's and has been so for as long as there are records; it is not one archaeology has tested. Rājagṛha is a short way west.
Measurements and counts
| Nirvāṇa here | Mahāvīra |
|---|---|
| The night | Kārttika amāvasyā - Dīpāvalī |
| Also here | Gautama's kevalajñāna, the same night |
| Today | Pawapuri, Nalanda district, Bihar |
| Identification | the pilgrimage tradition's |