Chilla (retreat)

Chilla (Persian: چله, Arabic: أربعين, both literally "forty"), also known as Chilla-nashini, 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.

[3] Chilla is commonly performed in a solitary cell called a chilla-khana.

[4] The most famous case of chilla is found in the biographies of the 14th century Sufi poet Hafez of Shiraz.

[5][6][7] A practice similar to chilla is also performed by Hindustani classical music practitioners at an advanced level.