Ahmedabad temples lit up on Day 5 of Paryushan

The fifth day of Paryushan on Sunday was different from the other days as Jain Acharya Maharajs at different upashrays held readings of the ‘Kalpasutra’, the scripture about the birth of Lord Mahavir.

The Acharyas gave special sermons on the birth of the Lord for devotees. Thousands of Jains poured into derasars and upashrays to hear their discourses.

Reading the Kalpasutra is believed to be important during the auspicious period of Paryushan.

For the evening celebrations on the fifth day of Paryushan, the Prernatirth derasar had organized a ‘maha aarti’ of Lord Mahavir. Hundreds of devotees were present at the derasar in the evening for a darshan.

One of the interesting events of the day is the diya (lamps) lit at night. “The diya, once lit in the evening by the devotees, stays lit throughout the night. The diya is lit to mark the birth of Lord Mahavir,” said Panyas Rajhansvijayji Maharaj of the Prernatirth derasar.

Talking about the legends surrounding the birth of the last Tirthankars of the Jains, Acharya Kundukunda Surishwarji Maharaj said that at the time of Lord Mahavir’s birth, there was no darkness and evil.

“This was because the Lord’s birth had filled the air with light,” the Acharya said.