Varsitap parna: Jains take part in ritual in large numbers

Akshay Tritiya has special meaning for the Jain community, as it ends their alternate day fast of 13 months. On Sunday, around 1,000 people from Jain community did Varsitap parna, while the number was as high as 2,500 in Palitana. Majority of the Jains prefer Palitana and Hastinapur for the parna.

In Ahmedabad, various Jain organisations organised mass programmes for parna. In Sola road area, one Jain monk and four nuns ended their fast in the presence of Ganivarya Vitrag Yashvijayaji Maharaj Saheb. The Jain monk and nuns who did parna are Balmuni Dhairyavijayji, Sadhvi Jaylatashriji, Sadhvi Upshramkalashriji, Sadhvi Vinajpragnashriji and Sadhvi Vimalyashashriji.

Godavari Jain Sangh in Vasna and Rangsagar Jain Sangh organised parna for the Jain devotees. Ahmedabad city BJP president and Ellisbridge MLA Rakesh Shah and former mayor Amit Shah attended programme of parna at Godavari Jain Sangh and Rangasagar Jain Sangh. 

Varsitap begins on the eight day of the dark half of a lunar month of Falgun and ends on the third day of the bright half of a lunar month of Vaishakh. The total duration of Varsitap is around 13 months and 13 days. However, this year it was 14 months and 14 days.
In Varsitap, the devotees do fast on alternate days. On the first day, they consume only boiled water, while on the other day they can take two meals a day.  The Jains do Varsitap for atonement of the any wrong deed they might have committed even unconsciously.