Kukshi (Madhya Pradesh): Purifying the mind and the body through a series of rituals and fasting, Paryushan Parv, the annual festival of the Jain community concluded in Kukshi on Thursday. The eight-day festival marked by traditional ceremonies ended with a grand procession which was attended by all community members of the town. The festival turned out to be an opportunity for them to express their adherence to the noble values of Jainism. The devotees were all ears when holy sermons of saints were presented at the temple each day.
They read scriptures, observed silence and listened to bhajans and religious discourse, Besides tales of Lord Mahavir were narrated every day. An important ritual of the festival ‘MichhamiDukkadam’ was also performed as collective forgiveness where one repents for one's entire year's sins. They folded hands and bowed their heads to request one another to forgive for the errors made by them knowingly or unknowingly and also requested that their mistakes be pardoned. They also pledged to eliminate or destroy all bad thinking and habits in their mind. ParyushanParv is a festival of forgiveness and repentance in Jainism and is considered the period of daily fasting, confession and inner reflection.
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