Lord Suparsvanath, the 7th Tirthankar

 Suparsvanath is the seventh Jain tirthankara of the present avasarpini time cycle. His complexion is golden and symbol is swastika. The chaitya tree under which he attained omniscience is shirisa tree.

In his previous incarnation, Suparsvanath was known as King Nandisena of Ramaniya province near East Videha within Bharatvarsha. He was noble-minded, soft-hearted and always tried to reduce the pain of the afflicted. Dharma was his minister who had the power of taking decisions. King Nandisena was not in favour of taking stern decisions on the people and showed his anger for Dharma. As time passed, Nandisena became tired of the material world and took initiation under Arindamana Acharya. Observing his vow zealously, he improved his soul to become tirthankara in his next birth.

Suparsvanath was born in Varanasi, in the ikshvaku clan on the twelfth day of bright moon under Visakha constellation in the month of Jyestha. His father was king Pratistha and mother queen Prithvi. When he became grown up, he got married and later on became the king. He looked after the well-being of people and was very much popular among his subjects. One day he noticed the shredding of leaves and flowers from a tree when he realised the outcome of present life he was enjoying. He immediately decided to renounce the worldly pleasures and handed over his duties as king to his son. He took initiation and became a Jain ascetic. He travelled various places and after nine months he returned back to Sahasramravana from where he started and attained omniscience under a shirisa tree on the sixth day in the month of Phalgun. After many years of travelling and spreading religion, he finally decided to renounce the world at his old age. He went to Mt. Sammed Shikhar with five hundred monks and started fasting which continued for one month. Finally, on the sixth day of the dark half of moon in the month of Phalgun, he attained nirvana and other monks also went to eternal abode. The name of Suparsvanath has been mentioned in the Yajurveda, as the epithet of God.

Matanga became the male messenger deity at the side of Suparsvanath and Santadevi was the female messenger deity who always stayed in the vicinity of the tirthankara throughout his life.