Pārśvanātha, or Pārśva and Pārasanātha, was the 23rd of 24 tīrthaṅkaras of Jainism. Pārśvanātha is the earliest Jain tīrthaṅkara who is acknowledged as a historical figure, with some teachings attributed to him that are accurately recorded, and a historical nucleus within the legendary accounts of his life from traditional hagiographies. According to Jain tradition, he lived between the 9th to 8th century BCE, whereas historians consider him to have lived between c. the 8th to 7th century BCE, founding a proto-Jain ascetic community that subsequently got revived and reformed by Mahāvīra.