What is ayambil olu

Ayambil Oḷī (also written Ayambil Oli) is a Jain observance of nine days in which devotees practice the austerity called “Ayambil” every day in honor of the Navapad (nine supreme entities), also known through the Siddhachakra.

What is Ayambil

• A food austerity: one simple meal in the day, taken without attachment to taste.
• The meal is plain, usually just boiled grains or pulses with very limited or no spices, and without oil, ghee, milk, curd, butter, sugar/jaggery, fruits, vegetables, or fried items. Water is taken boiled. The aim is simplicity and restraint, not variety.

What is Oḷī

• Oḷī means a nine-day spiritual period. It is observed twice a year (around the lunar months of Chaitra and Āshwin).
• Each day is devoted to one of the Navapad: Arihant, Siddha, Āchārya, Upādhyāya, Sādhu, Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jñān, Samyak Chāritra, and Tap.
• Along with Ayambil, devotees engage in pratikraman, svādhyāy (scriptural study), samayik (meditation/equanimity), and Siddhachakra/Navapad worship.

Tradition notes

• Shvetāmbara: Commonly called “Ayambil Oḷī” or “Siddhachakra Oḷī,” centered on Siddhachakra worship and daily Ayambil for all nine days.
• Digambara: Known as “Navapad Oḷī/Navadevta Oḷī.” Many observe Ayambil, Ekāsan (one-sitting meal), or Upavās (fasting). Food rules are similarly simple, though small details can vary by local practice and guidance of ācāryas.

Purpose

• To purify passions, cultivate detachment from taste, strengthen the three jewels (right faith, right knowledge, right conduct), and offer reverence to the Navapad for inner upliftment.

In short: Ayambil Oḷī is a twice‑yearly, nine‑day Jain sādhanā where one practices the Ayambil fast each day and focuses on Siddhachakra/Navapad worship, restraint, study, and meditation.