What happens during the Jain festival of Paryushana?

Paryushana is a significant eight-day festival in Jainism that marks the conclusion of the Jaina year. The term signifies both "abiding"—referring to the period when monks and nuns settle in one place during the monsoon—and the act of pacification through forgiveness and devoted service.12

During this period, observers engage in various religious practices:

• Fasting and Asceticism: Many lay members temporarily adopt the lifestyle of monks, an observance known as poshadha. While some individuals fast throughout the entire eight-day festival, others observe a fast specifically on the final day.12
• Scriptural Study: Monks read the Kalpa-sutra, a sacred text detailing the lives of the Jinas, to the laity, often displaying and revering miniature paintings of these events.1
• Confession and Forgiveness: A central aspect is the communal confession performed on the final day, known as Samvatsari. Practitioners seek to resolve past conflicts by asking for forgiveness for any misdeeds—conscious or unconscious—committed during the year, ensuring no ill feelings are carried into the new year.12
• Charity and Processions: On the final day, alms are distributed to the poor, and an image of a Jina is paraded through the streets in a procession led by an ornamental pole called the Indra-dhvaja.12