Jain legendary ancestors usually refer to the 24 Tirthankaras (ford-makers), the great teachers who revived and taught the path to liberation in each cosmic half-cycle. They are considered divine beings who conquered inner passions and showed the way for all beings to attain enlightenment.

List of the 24 Tirthankaras (in traditional order, with their accepted names):

• Rishabhanatha (Adinath)
• Ajitnatha
• Sambhavnath
• Abhinandannath
• Sumatinath
• Padmaprabha
• Suparshvanath
• Chandraprabha
• Suvidhinath (Shri Vidinath)
• Shitalnath
• Shreyamsanath
• Vasupujya
• Vastranath (Vasunath)
• Maninath
• Kunthunath
• Araṇath
• Mallinath
• Munisuvratam
• Naminath
• Neminath
• Parsvanath
• Mahavira (Mahavira Jeevan the 24th)

Important notes:

• These 24 are the same figures revered across Jain traditions (Digambara and Śvetāmbara), though each sect may have slight stylistic differences in legends or iconography.
• Mahavira is counted as the 24th Tirthankara in the current cosmic cycle and is the most widely known among non-Jain publics.

What they signify:

• Each Tirthankara exemplifies perfect conduct, right faith, and right knowledge. They reveal the dharma (path) and provide a model of self-control, non-violence, truth, and renunciation.
• Their teachings and exemplary lives are used in Jain sadhana (practice) to inspire ethical discipline and spiritual upliftment.

If you’d like, I can give a short, plain-language Arth (meaning) for a specific Tirthankara, or share the key legends associated with one or two of them.