Paryushan

Paryushan is the most important festival of the Jain religion — a period of intense spiritual practice observed over eight or ten days (in the Shvetambar and Digambar traditions respectively) in the month of Bhadrapada (August–September). Banaskantha, with its old Jain communities and the magnificent Kumbhariya Jain temples near Ambaji, observes it deeply. Paryushan is a time of fasting (from simple restraint to complete fasts), prayer, the reading and hearing of sacred scripture (especially the Kalpa Sutra), introspection, and the practice of the core Jain values of non-violence (ahimsa), restraint and self-purification. It culminates in Samvatsari, the day of forgiveness, when Jains seek and grant forgiveness to all beings with the words “Micchami Dukkadam” — “may any harm I have caused be forgiven.” It is a profoundly inward festival — not of spectacle but of devotion, discipline and reconciliation — observed in temples, upashrayas and homes. The Jain heritage of Banaskantha gives it a special resonance here. For the visitor, Paryushan offers a window into the depth of Jain spiritual life — best appreciated with quiet respect at a Jain temple or community during the festival. (The holiest Jain festival, Aug–Sep; fasting, scripture and forgiveness; observed in Jain communities and temples.)