Who of the following is a contemporary of Gautama Buddha?

Gautama Buddha and Vardhamana Mahavira were contemporaries who lived during the 6th–5th century BCE [3]. Both were born into royal families of ganasanghas and renounced their worldly lives to seek spiritual enlightenment [1]. While Buddha founded Buddhism, Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism [t1][t2]. In contrast, Parsvanath was the 23rd Tirthankara, traditionally dated to the 9th century BCE, making him a predecessor rather than a contemporary [t1][t9]. Ashvaghosa and Nagarjuna lived much later; Ashvaghosa was a poet and philosopher in the court of King Kanishka during the 1st–2nd century CE [t4][t5], and Nagarjuna was a Buddhist philosopher who founded the Madhyamaka school around the 2nd century CE [t4][t6]. Thus, only Vardhamana Mahavira aligns with the lifespan of Gautama Buddha.

Sources

1. [2] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Timeline and Sources of History > How Is Time Measured in History? > p. 62
2. [3] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 7: India's Cultural Roots > Jainism > p. 115
3. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Life of Mahavira > p. 39