In Jain Dharma, Tirthankaras are never replaced. They are the supreme Arihants who show the path to moksha.

Nakodaji is generally revered as a yaksha/devata or protective deity in folk devotion, but he is not equal to or above the Tirthankaras. If in practice people give more visible attention to Nakodaji than to the Tirthankaras, that is a matter of devotional imbalance, not Jain siddhant.

According to Jain principles:

• Veneration of Tirthankaras is primary.
• Yaksha/yakshini devotion is secondary and auxiliary.
• No devata can take the place of a Tirthankar.

So the correct Jain understanding is: devotion may exist, but the central refuge remains the Tirthankaras only.