In Jainism, a Tirthankara (IAST: tīrthaṅkara; lit. ' ford -maker') is a saviour and supreme preacher of the dharma (righteous path). The word tirthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha, a fordable passage across saṃsāra, the sea of interminable birth and death.

Tirthankara, in Jainism, a saviour who has succeeded in crossing over life’s stream of rebirths and has made a path for others to follow.

The word tirthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha which means a fordable passage across the sea of repeated births and deaths (called saṃsāra). Tirthankaras are also called "Teaching Gods", "Ford-Makers", "Crossing Makers" and "Makers of the River-Crossing.

The word tirthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha, which is a fordable passage across the sea of interminable births and deaths, the saṃsāra. According to Jains, a tirthankara is an individual who has conquered the saṃsāra, the cycle of death and rebirth, on their own, and made a path for others to follow.