Jainism is extremely ancient. In traditional Jain chronology, the current organized Jain tradition centers on Mahavira (the 24th Tirthankara), whose nirvana is dated around 527 BCE. If you go by that date, Jainism is about 2,500 years old. Some Jain texts place the earlier Tirthankaras and the broader Jain tradition even earlier, so the roots of Jain philosophy and practice are often dated to several millennia before Mahavira.

Key point:

• Mahavira’s era: around 599–527 BCE (commonly cited as about 527 BCE for nirvana).
• The broader Jain lineage (including the 24 Tirthankaras) is considered even older in Jain cosmology.
• Digambar and Shwetambar traditions share the same Mahavira dating, though there are differences in additional texts and interpretations.

If you’d like, I can point you to a specific JainKnowledge page that discusses Jain chronology.