What Is Santhara? Jain Ritual In Spotlight After 3-year-old Girl Dies During 'Fasting To Death'

Indore: The centuries-old Jain ritual of 'Santhara', which involves voluntarily fasting until death as a form of spiritual purification, has gained attention following the death of a three-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh. The child, Viyana Jain, who was suffering from a brain tumour, was reportedly made to observe the ritual by her parents-both IT professionals-on the advice of Jain monk Rajesh Muni Maharaj in Indore. Viyana, their only child, passed away on March 21, according to the family.

According to her parents, the Golden Book of World Records has taken note and issued a certificate in the name of Viyana for being "the youngest person in the world to vow the Jain ritual Santhara," PTI reported.

Piyush Jain, the girl's father, told PTI, "My daughter was diagnosed with brain tumour in January this year. She underwent a surgery, following which her health improved. But in March, her condition deteriorated and she started facing difficulty in consuming food and drinking."

On the night of March 21, he took his seriously ill daughter along with his family members to Jain monk Rajesh Muni Maharaj for darshan. "Maharaj saw my daughter's condition and told us that the girl's end is near and she should be given the Santhara vow. This fast holds a lot of significance in Jainism. After thinking about it, we finally agreed to go for it," he said.

Jain said that his daughter died within a few minutes of the monk completing the religious rituals of Santhara.

Her mother Varsha Jain said, "I cannot describe how difficult the decision was to make my daughter take the Santhara vow. My daughter was suffering a lot due to the brain tumour. It was very painful for me to see her in this condition."

Santhara, also known as Sallekhana, is a Jain ritual of voluntarily fasting unto death. As per this practice, a person gradually reduces his or her intake of food and water until death as a means of achieving spiritual purification and detachment from the world.

The term Sallekhana is derived from the words sat (truth) and lekhana (emaciation), meaning the act of intentional physical weakening. It signifies the belief that diminishing the body’s strength helps in shedding worldly attachments and suffering, which are seen as obstacles to the soul’s ultimate liberation.

The Santhara practice drew attention in 2015 when the Rajasthan High Court ruled that it was punishable under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. The court maintained that voluntarily ending one’s life constituted self-harm and could not be justified on religious grounds. The verdict triggered widespread protests from the Jain community, who argued that Santhara is a sacred religious tradition. In response, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s ruling a month later, effectively allowing the practice to continue under the protection of religious freedom.

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