Jain Fasting Guide
Jain fasting (tap) ranges from Navkarsi, eating only 48 minutes after sunrise, to Upvas, a full day without food, and longer fasts such as Atthai and Varshitap. Each fast begins with a Pachchakkhaan, a vow taken before a monk, a nun or the Tirthankara, and ends at a fixed time calculated from sunrise and sunset.
Kinds of tap
| Tap | What it means |
|---|---|
| Navkarsi | No food or water until 48 minutes after sunrise. |
| Porsi | No food or water until one prahar (a quarter of the daytime) after sunrise. |
| Sadh Porsi and Purimaddha | Longer morning vows: one and a half prahars, and half the day (two prahars). |
| Chovihar | No food or water from sunset to the next sunrise. Tivihar allows boiled water. |
| Biyasana | Two meals a day, each eaten in one sitting. |
| Ekasana | One meal a day, in one sitting; boiled water during the day. |
| Ayambil | One meal of boiled grains and pulses, without salt, oil, ghee, milk, sugar, spices, fruit or green vegetables. |
| Upvas | No food from sunrise to the next sunrise; boiled water in the day (Tivihar) or nothing at all (Chovihar). |
| Chhath and Attham | Two and three consecutive days of Upvas. |
| Atthai | Eight days of Upvas, often kept in Paryushan. |
| Masakshaman | A month of Upvas. |
| Varshitap | Upvas on alternate days for about thirteen months, from Phalguna Krishna Ashtami to Akshaya Tritiya. |
Why Jains fast
Tap (austerity) is one of the twelve kinds of practice that burn off karma. Fasting is outer tap; it supports the inner tap of repentance, study, service and meditation. A fast taken without the inner change is not counted as tap.
The times of a fast come from the day's sunrise and sunset: Navkarsi, Porsi and the other morning vows end a set part of the daytime after sunrise, and Chovihar begins at sunset. See today's Pachchakkhaan times for your city.
Food rules on fasting days
Jains do not eat root vegetables (anantkay) such as potatoes, onions and garlic, or honey, at any time, and eat before sunset. On parva tithis green vegetables and fruit are left out too, and during Chaturmas and the Olis many follow stricter rules.
Sources
- Tattvartha Sutra (Umaswati), chapter 9: Lists the six outer and six inner kinds of tap.
- Uttaradhyayana Sutra, chapter 30: The path of tap: how fasting supports repentance, study, service and meditation.
- Avashyaka Sutra: The six daily duties, the last of which is Pachchakkhaan, the vow that begins each fast.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ekasana and Ayambil?
Both are one meal a day. In Ekasana the meal can be ordinary Jain food; in Ayambil it must be plain boiled grains and pulses, without salt, oil, ghee, milk, sugar, spices or vegetables.
What is Chovihar?
Chovihar is a vow to take no food or water of any kind (all four kinds of intake) after sunset until the next sunrise.
About This Content
Written and edited by the Vedic Tithi team from the Jain scriptures listed under Sources. Shwetambar and Digambar practice differs in places, and so do sanghs, so follow your guru or sangh where it differs from ours. If you spot an error, tell us and we will correct it.
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Last updated: October 2026