From a Jain perspective, Jainism is considered an eternal dharma (anadi and anadi-apara), not something that began at a specific time or with a human founder. It is taught as a path of liberation that has always existed and is being rediscovered by souls, not created by any one person.

Historically, Jainism is thought to have taken distinct form around the same era as early Buddhism, roughly in the 6th century BCE, while the older Vedic/Hindu traditions trace their roots to much earlier periods. So, in historical terms, Jainism and early Hindu/Vedic traditions emerged around roughly the same broad historical window, with Hinduism’s roots extending farther back in time. The Jain view, however, emphasizes the eternal nature of Jain dharma rather than a single starting point.

If you’d like, I can point you to a specific JainKnowledge page that discusses Jainism as an eternal dharma and its historical context.