Mahavira died by a voluntary fast called sallekhana (santhara), i.e., he suppressed eating and drinking as a means to end worldly bondage and attain complete liberation.

• Place: Pavapuri (present-day Nalanda district, Bihar, India).
• Tradition: This account is common to both Digambar and Shwetambar Jain traditions, though the exact dates and some details about the event are described slightly differently in the two sects.
• Approximate date: Most traditional Jain sources place his nirvana around 527 BCE, though there are variations in dates in different texts.

Key idea: Sallekhana is not a suicide; in Jain understanding it is a conscious spiritual practice undertaken with renunciation and full awareness to purify karma and achieve kevala jnana and moksha.