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Tirthankar

तीर्थंकर

Say it teerth-UN-kur

Meaning today: Ford-maker, Jain spiritual teacher
Original meaning: "a ford-maker: a Jain teacher; also an epithet of Vishnu and Shiva" Monier-Williams, p. 449
Say it: teerth-UN-kur
Written: तीर्थंकर
Other spellings: Teerthankar, Tirthankara
First sound: ती · Tula rashi

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Tirthankar

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Tirthankar meaning

Tirthankar (तीर्थंकर) is a Jain and Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin (Bengali usage). By its first sound, ती, it is a Tula rashi name (Vishakha nakshatra) in the North Indian table.

A ford-maker: a Jain teacher; also an epithet of Vishnu and Shiva

Also used to mean: Jain spiritual teacher

Tirthankar (तीर्थंकर) is the Sanskrit tīrthaṃkara, "ford-maker", from tīrtha, "a ford or crossing place", and kara, "one who makes". In Jainism the Tīrthaṅkaras are the twenty-four great teachers, from Ṛṣabha to Mahāvīra, who made a crossing over the river of rebirth for others to follow. Monier-Williams also records the related tīrthakara for Viṣṇu in the Mahābhārata, as one who makes a passage across, and as an epithet of Śiva. Name lists give "ford-maker" or "Jain spiritual teacher". The name is used by Jain families and is also used by Bengali Hindus.

Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 449 · entry tīrthaṃ-kara · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Monier-Williams, tīrthaṃ-kara and tīrtha-kara, p. 449 · Wikipedia, Tirthankar Roy