Nepal: Hindu devotees commemorate ancestors on Bala Chaturdashi Festivities

Dec 11, 2023

Kathmandu (Nepal), Dec 11 (ANI): Hindu Devotees in Nepal camp out to stay up all night lighting oil-fed lamps and praying for the salvation of departed souls to mark the auspicious occasion Bal or Bala Chaturdashi. Tarpaulins cover the grounds of Pashupatinath Temple, including the Bagmati River embankments. On the eve of Bala Chaturdashi, devotees who have lost loved ones in their family perform this ritual for the salvation of the souls of deceased ones. The festival of Bala Chaturdashi starts from Marga Krishna Trayodashi, the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Mangsir (8th month according to the Nepali calendar). Devotees who observe this ritual maintain strict fasting, with only one meal that day and abstaining from garlic, onions, fish, eggs and other food items that are said to be impure. In the evening, they reach the Pashupatinath temple or shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and chant hymns and prayers to Lord Shiva all night long. They light "Akhanda Jyoti" in the name of the deceased souls of their families. The next morning, Marga Krishna Chaturdashi, they take a holy bath and start their journey around the Pashupatinath temple premises spreading seven kinds of grains along the way. The seven grains (also called Satbeej) include dhaan (rice), jau (barley), til (sesame), gahun (wheat), chana (chickpeas), makai (maize) and kaguno (foxtail millet). Devotees walk along Kailash-Suryaghat-Gaurighat-Aryaghat-Guhyeshwari-Mrigasthali-Bishworup-Kirateshwar-108 Shivalinga.