Chaturmasya celebrated
Every year the Jains celebrate the period of ‘Chaturmasya with religious fervour by visiting temples and offering prayer in their homes. Accordingly the holy period of Chaturmasya would end with the ‘Paryushan Parva’, an eight-day festival during which the Jains give importance to soul cleaning by undertaking fast. The Paryushan Parva this year was celebrated from August 25 to September 1.
Chandra Kumar Chopda, who belongs to the Jain sect, said this period was considered reverential by Jains because during this period Lord Mahaveer was born (conceived) in the womb of mother Thrishala. According to legend before the day of conception of Lord Mahaveer, Mother Thrishala had 14 dreams where she sees things like Sun, Moon, pile of diamonds, Goddess Lakshmi, Dev-Viman, flower garlands and other things.
During the ‘Paryushan Parva’ every Jain temple will have a ‘Palanaji’ (cradle) of Lord Mahaveer, with a family selected among the devotees taking the cradle home to celebrate the birth of Lord Mahaveer in their home. The family would bring the cradle home at an auspicious time with devotees following in a procession followed by the celebrations with bhajans, kirtans and religious discourses. On the concluding day, which was September 1, this year, the Jains treat this as Universal Forgiveness Day. This day is called ‘Samvstsari Day’.
