Neminatha, also known as Nemi and Arishtanemi, is the twenty-second tirthankara in Jainism. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, Neminatha is one of the twenty four tirthankaras who attract the most devotional worship among the Jains.
Neminatha lived 2356 years before the 23rd tirthankara Parshvanatha. He was the youngest son of king Samudravijaya and queen Shivadevi. Krishna, who is incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was his first cousin. He was born at Sauripura in the Yadu lineage, like Krishna. His birth date was the fifth day of Shravana Shukla of the Jain calendar. On his wedding day Neminatha heard the cries of animals being killed for the marriage feast, he left marriage and freed animals and he renounced the world to become a monk – a scene found in many Jain artwork. He is believed to have attained moksha on Girnar Hills near Junagadh, a pilgrimage center for Jains.