Five-day Digre religious fair starts

By Raju Lamichhane

Musikot, Nov. 6: A five-day famous religious Digre fair of Rukum West has started Friday. The religious fair started at Haribodhani Ekadashi at Digre Sai Kumari Temple complex in Musikot Municipality-5, Tharpu. Temple priest Ram Prasad Gautam informed that a special fair is held every year on the day of Kartik Purnima, but the fair starts from every Haribodhani Ekadashi. 

This year the main fair will be held on November 8. Worship and sacrifices  are offered in this temple throughout the year, but there will be special worship and offerings from Friday. The number of people who offer sacrifices also  increases, he said.

From Haribodhani Ekadashi to Chaturdashi, there is a special puja and a grand fair is held on the full moon day. But sacrifices cannot be offered on Ekadashi and full moon day. The fair management committee said that the worship will be held from November 5 to 8 on the day of Chaturdashi and there will be worship along with the sacrifice of goats.

Visitors come from neighbouring districts including Rukum East, Salyan, Rolpa, Jajarkot and Dang. According to Gautam, there is a belief that when you pray here, your wish will be fulfilled. However, there is no official information about the start of Digre religious fair which is taking place every year on the occasion of  Kartik Purnima.

According to the temple management committee, a bell dated 1641 BS was found in the temple. Although the clock was found that year, it is believed that worship and fairs were held in the temple even before that.

Legend has it that the fair started as per the wishes of Sai Kumari Bhagwati Devi. It is believed that the water level in the stream near the temple will increase as the number of people in the fair increases.

Every year from Kartik Shukla Ekadashi to Purnima, pilgrims come from different parts of the country to pay respect to the goddess.