Chaturmas: Jains begin 4-month of austere living, listening to sermons

The Jain community’s auspicious Chaturmas began on Wednesday. During this holy four-month period of monsoon season, various religious events and spiritual programmes will take place at Jain temples and Upashrayas (monastic dwellings). Sermons by  revered gurus and rituals involving penance and devotion will also be organised.

Jain monks and nuns, who travel on foot for nearly eight months of the year, will now reside in a single city or village across this period. 

Just as rains rejuvenate the earth, Chaturmas refreshes the soul. 

This year, Ahmedabad will host a significant number of Jain ascetics:

• 4 Gachchhadhipatis (heads of sects)
• 51 Acharyas
• 11 Panyasas

More than 1,100 monks and nuns will observe Varsiavas in the city.

Throughout Chaturmas, the Jain community will engage in collective spiritual practices such as:

Samuhik Siddhi Tap, Samuhik Maskshaman, 16-day and 8-day fasts, Shreni Tap, daily discourses at Upashrayas, morning and evening Pratikraman (ritual introspection), and other forms of chanting, fasting, and devotion will be observed in Upashrayas.

Where will the Gachchhadhipatis reside in Ahmedabad?