names of 18 Abhishek for Mahavir Jayanti
For “18 Abhishek” there is no single, fixed, universal list in Jain Āgams that is the same in every mandir. The names and order of the 18 Abhisheks change slightly according to:
- Gacch / sangh (e.g. different Śvetāmbara gacchas)
- Local tradition of that derāsar or pūjā‑book
- Occasion (Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, pratishthā, special tirth, etc.)
Because of this, different temples will honestly give you slightly different “correct” lists.
Commonly, the 18 Abhisheks are made up from things like:
- Jal (plain water)
- Panchāmṛut (milk, curd, ghee, sugar, honey – counted as 5)
- Kesar‑jal, Chandan‑jal, Sugandhit jal (fragrant / saffron / sandal water)
- Ausadhi‑jal (herbal water), Tīrth‑jal (waters collected from various Jain tīrths)
- Sometimes special combinations like Ratna‑chūrṇ jal, Kashāy jal, etc.
But exactly which 18 are taken, and what exact names are used, will differ.
Because Jain Dharma must be kept accurate and pure, it would not be right to give you one “fixed” list and claim, “These are the only 18 names,” when the practice itself is tradition‑based and varies.
What you can do practically:
- Ask the pūjā‑vidhikar or pūjā book of your own derāsar.
They will usually have the full list of 18 Abhisheks printed in order, exactly as they perform it on Mahavir Jayanti.
- If you share which sangh/gacch/mandir you follow (e.g. Tapāgacch, Khartar‑gacch, etc.), your local paṇdit or Āchārya‑bhagwant can give you the precise traditional list for that lineage.
For simple background on Mahavir Janma Kalyanak itself, you can also read here