• In Jain tradition, Mahavira is the 24th Tirthankar of the current time cycle. He is considered the only Tirthankar during his own era; no other preachers are described as Tirthankars calling themselves Bhagwan or Kevali in the Mahavira period. The previous Tirthankar is Parshvanath (Parshva), the 23rd Tirthankar, who lived in an earlier era. So, contemporaries of Mahavira did not proclaim themselves as new Tirthankars. You can read more about Mahavira and Parshvanath here and here:

• The Ajivika teacher Makkhali Gosala was a prominent contemporary figure who was opposed to Mahavira, but he is not described as a Tirthankar or Kevali. He led a different philosophical path and did not claim Tirthankara status. For context on Gosala and Mahavira’s interactions, you can explore discussions about their time here:

• Within Jain texts, the lineage closest to Mahavira after him includes Ganadharas like Sudharmaswami and Jambu Swami, who preserved the teachings but were not Tirthankaras themselves. You can read about Sudharmaswami here:

If you’d like, I can summarize the key differences between Tirthankaras (like Parshvanath and Mahavira) and contemporary non-Jain teachers, with specific references from Jain scriptures.