Katyayani worshipped on sixth day of Dashain

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu,Oct.1 :  Saturday is the sixth day of Dashain marked with the worship of Goddess Katyayani.

According to the Vaman Puran, one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism, Katyayani was created from the combined wrath of all the gods whose anger at the demon Mahisasur took the form of energy rays that crystallised in the hermitage of Katyayana Rishi. That is why the goddess is known as Katyayani or the daughter of Katyayana. Devotion to Goddess Katyayani is believed to grant the devotee all four virtues – Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

“Katyayani is the goddess of power,” said priest Madhav Chalise. “And she is worshipped with the mantra Om Devi Katyayanyai Nama,” he added.

“Worshippers may offer honey to the goddess, who carries a sword and rides a lion,” Chalise said.

In Kathmandu, people visit Manmaiju Temple and the Katyayani Temple in Minbhawan.

Cultural scholars and experts believe that the worship of Durga in Dashain shows Nepali society’s reverence for Matrishakti (motherly power) and the importance placed on the concept of Devi (a supernatural extension of the female form) for the defeat of evil and triumph of good.