In Jain cosmology, there are exactly 24 Tirthankaras in every half-cycle of time. This is a fixed cosmic pattern (not something humans decide). Each Tirthankar revives the path to liberation when the spiritual age of the world requires it. We are in the era of the 24th Tirthankar, Mahavira, and after him the world will gradually fall into disarray again until the next cycle begins and a new Tirthankar appears.

Key points:

• Time is cyclical (not linear) and divided into two halves: avasarpini and utsarpini.
• In each half-cycle, 24 Tirthankaras appear in a specific order to restore dharma.
• Mahavira is the 24th Tirthankar of this cycle; after him, the dharma declines again until the next cycle starts with a new Tirthankar.

If you’d like, I can list all 24 Tirthankaras in order.