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What is chovihar?
Chovihar (also spelled chovihaṛ, chauvihar) is a Jain daily discipline. It means not taking any food or drink after sunset and until the next sunrise. The practice is driven by ahimsa (non-violence) and self-control, since night hours have more living beings that are hard to see and could be harmed by eating or drinking.
Key points:
- Basic form: no food or water after sunset, until the next morning.
- Variations: some traditions allow limited water or only restrict food, while others are stricter and prohibit water as well until daylight.
- Digambar/Shvetambar differences: in many cases both follow “no intake after sunset,” but there are nuances about what is allowed during daylight (e.g., boiled water in some fasts, and stricter rules in others).
