Vardhamana was born to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala of Kundagrama. He believed in self-discipline and started living a life based on strict discipline and self-penance. After 12 years of penance, at the age of 42, he finally found the answers he was looking for. It was called ‘enlightenment’ or Kevalgyan. The Jains also considered him to be the last of the twenty-four Tirthankaras.