Jain monk Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj dies at 77, PM recalls his ‘valuable efforts’
Renowned Jain monk Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj died at the age of 77 on Sunday after undertaking ‘sallekhna’, a religious practice involving voluntary fasting unto death. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called his death an “irreparable loss”.
- Renowned Jain monk Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj dies at 77.
- Final rites to be held at Chandragiri Teerth in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon.
- PM Modi calls monk’s death ‘irreparable loss’, recalls his ‘valuable efforts’
Renowned Jain monk Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj died on Sunday at Chandragiri Teerth in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district after undertaking ‘sallekhna’. He was 77.
‘Sallekhna’ is a Jain religious practice involving voluntary fasting unto death for spiritual purification, a statement from the teerth said.
Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj attained Samadhi through ‘sallekhna’ at Chandragiri Teerth at 2:35 am, the statement said.”Maharaj was staying on the teerth in Dongargarh for the last six months and was unwell for the past few days.
For the last three days, he was observing ‘sallekhna’, a religious practice of voluntarily fasting to death, and had quit intake of food and liquids. According to Jainism, it is a vow taken for spiritual purification,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Modi visited Dongargarh, a popular pilgrimage spot, and met Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj on November 5 and took his blessings before the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections last year.
