Ghost festival held in Kamala River

By Our Correspondent,Dhalkebar, Nov. 16: A ghost festival was held on the Kamala River bank, in the border of the Dhanusha and Siraha districts, on Friday.

On the day of Kartik Shukla Purnima, people take the Shamans and bathe in the Kamala River, believing that this will grant them Tantric power and success.

 It is said that bathing in the Kamala River on this day helps achieve Tantric knowledge.

On this occasion, a fair is also organised on the banks of the Kamala River both in Dhanusha and Siraha.

 Thousands of people from Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Saptari and Udayapur, and Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, and other places in India gather at the Kamala River to witness the fair.

It is believed that after bathing in the Kamala River, to become Shamans, devotees receive the blessings of Goddess Kamleswori, who grants them Tantric knowledge and yoga.

 Devotees also take pure water from the Kamala River to their homes after bathing during the Ghost Festival.

The process of becoming a shaman is completed when the original Shaman recites the Mantra.

 It is customary to perform a ritual by making offerings to fire on this day to attain Tantra Siddhi. 

During the bathing ritual, native Shamans sing songs in the local folk language, known as ‘Maharani’. 

According to a Shaman from Kamala Municipality in Dhanusha, who leads other Shamans to bathe in Kamala and Gangesagar, people who carry deities within them are brought to this festival.

Shamans who teach mantras in Teaai are referred to as Bhagatas.

The number of devotees taking their first holy bath in the river and receiving the blessings of Shamans was significant.

 Men and women who channel deities return home after bathing in the Kamala River.

 Many participants, particularly from rural areas, believe in shamanism, which is prevalent due to widespread illiteracy in these regions.