Nepali people across the country will be observing the festival of Bala Chaturdashi on Tuesday.
On this day, the Hindus visit Shiva shrines scattering Satvij around the shrines.
The Pashupatinath area in Kathmandu draws a big crowd of devotees on this day.
Hindu pilgrims from all over the nation gather at Pashupatinath temple to observe the day from Monday evening.
Bala Chaturdashi falls on the day of Marga Krishna Chaturdashi as per the Bikram Sambat calendar.
On the occasion, devotees take a holy bath early in the morning and circle the Pashupatinath Temple, or their nearest Shiva shrines, scattering more than 100 different kinds foodgrains (Satvij) and praying for the peace of the departed souls of the relatives.
For this, in the evening of Trayodashi, people stay awake all night by lighting the Mahadeep in the Pashupati area.
The next day, on Chaturdashi, they perform a ritual of offering Mahadeep in the Bagmati River, take bath and scatter Satvij in the name of their family members who have passed away.
According to the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), several religious organisations and the PADT have pitched tents for the worshippers to perform the night-long vigil on the Pashupati premises.
Devotees begin scattering of Satvij from Panchganesha near Vatsaleshwori in the Pashupatinath area and go around Anantnarayan, Yamaraj, Batuk Bhairava, Jayanangala, Rajaraeshwori, Pashupatinath Temple, Bagmati Aryaghat and on the bank of the Bagmati.
After that, the devotees reach Namobuddha via Kiranteshwor, Guarighat, Guheshwori, Vishworrupa and Bahira Ganesh and return on the same way.
On that day, on behalf of Pashupati Bala Guthi, Vatsaleshwori’s japaya or annaprashana (rice feeding ceremony) is performed.
It is customary to cover the stone of Vatsaleshwori with rice and worship. It is believed that after the worship, the dog should enter the temple and eat the food.
On the day, Pashupathnath Chhatra Guthi has a special rule to offer special worship at Guheshwori.
There is a tradition of sacrificing he-buffaloes and goats at Guheshwori under Bala Guthi.
In the evening of Bala Chaturdashi, the connoisseurs of Patan Chyasal Tole come to Guheshwori Temple to worship Guheshwori and walk along the path treading on the scattered Satvij playing the traditional instrument Kan baja.
Source : TRN,
