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Blank screens marked the week of penance and fasting leading up to the Paryusan festival on Wednesday for some 400 families, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday. All of them are members of the Indrapuri Jain Sangh.
The call for the unique 'sacrifice' came from Acharya Shri Vijay Jahgatchandra Surishwarji, the preacher at the sangh's (association) shrine.
He has embarked on a 'de-addiction programme' to wean Jains away from the 'evils' of modern day life, including satellite television.
"Television was good in the beginning. Then satellite channels arrived and people could not differentiate between good and bad," the preacher was quoted as saying.
The Jain leader's views have added to the voice of conservatives in India who say the content of most satellite television channels is morally degrading.
Hitesh Shah, an office-bearer of the association, said checks were conducted in the homes of congregation members to ensure that television sets were indeed switched off.
What has kept withdrawal symptoms in check for television lovers among the congregation is the hectic religious schedule leading up to Paryusan.
"There is little time to spare for TV," said the association's president Pravin Mehta. "Even those who have time have stopped watching television as it is a religious decree."
Jainism has a tiny following in parts of northern, western and central India. The main tenet of the religion, which predates Buddhism, is non-violence and its followers are strict vegetarians.
Gujarat is home to the largest concentration of Jains in India.
Indo-Asian News Service
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