Chilla (retreat)

Sufi Maulvi (teacher) meditating

Chilla (Persian: ‫ﭼﻠﻪ‬, Arabic: ‫أرﺑﻌﻴﻦ‬, both

literally "forty") is a spiritual practice of
penance and solitude in Sufism known
mostly in Indian and Persian traditions. In
this ritual a mendicant or ascetic
attempts to remain seated in a circle
practicing meditation techniques without
food for 40 days and nights in imitation
of the Arba'een.[1][2] The word chilla is
derived from the Persian word chehel
"forty".[3] Chilla is commonly performed
in a solitary cell called a chilla-khana.

In music
A practice similar to chilla is also
performed by Hindustani classical music
practitioners at an advanced level.It is
called chilla katna. The musicians lock
themselves up in a chilla-khana for forty
days and practice their instrument
severely. A special diet, often omitting
meat and grains, is taken during this
period and very little food is eaten. Any
contact to the outside world is avoided
during this period. People try not to fall
asleep at any cost, if necessary they will
tie their hair to a noose at the ceiling. It is
done to achieve a very high level of skill,
that cannot be achieved due to normal
regular practice. The chilla details may
differ between gharanas (musical
lineages).

People who have performed

partial or complete chillas
The most famous case of chilla is found
in the biographies of the 14th century
Sufi poet Hafez of Shiraz.[4][5][6]

See also
Khalwa
Vision quest
Meditation
Sādhanā
Shugendō

References
1. Landolt & Lawson 2005, p. 203.
2. Dehlvi 2012, p. 109.
3. The Path of Khalwati and Shabani
 4. Teachings of Hafiz: Translated by
Gertrude Lowthian Bell
5. Hafiz ‫ ﺣﺎﻓﻆ‬Biography
6. Iran Chamber Society

Bibliography …

Dehlvi, Sadia (5 September 2012).

Sufism: Heart of Islam . HarperCollins
Publishers. ISBN 978-93-5029-448-2.
Landolt, Hermann; Lawson, Todd
(2005). Reason and Inspiration in Islam:
Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in
Muslim Thought . I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-
1-85043-470-2.
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