Jaipur: Santhara or the Jain religious ritual of fasting unto death claimed one more life in Rajasthan on Monday when an elderly woman died after fasting for 61 days, a member of the community said.
Ninety-three-year-old Kaiela Devi, a resident of Johari Bazaar, undertook the Jain ritual of self-denial and breathed her last in the presence of family members.
This was the fifth case of Santhara in Rajasthan.
Earlier 84-year-old Bavrulal Beerwal of Chittorgarh, 60-year-old Vimla Devi of Jaipur, 85-year-old Dhanni Devi of Bikaner and 77-year-old Amarchand Kaswan of Ajmer had embraced Santhra in the last one-and-a-half months.
Jain community leaders have termed deaths and births as religious events and claimed the fasting ritual of Santhara was a means to attain salvation.
They were also of the view that the ritual should not be treated as suicide.
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