Thousands visit Devghat, Arjundhara to sow Shatabij

By Our Correspondents,Tanahun/Damak,Dec.1: Thousands of people have gathered at Devghat Dham of Devghat Rural Municipality in Tanahun district to sow Shatabij on the occasion of Bala Chaturdashi. 

On Saturday, Hindus celebrate the sacred festival of Bala Chaturdashi or Krishna Chaturdashi, by scattering Shatabij at various temples and shrines. Since Devghat is located at the confluence of the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli rivers and is home to numerous temples and shrines, thousands of devotees arrived on Friday evening from far and wide to participate in the Shatabij ritual.

Bala Chaturdashi holds special significance among many Hindu festivals. Celebrated on the Krishna Chaturdashi, it is also referred to as the ‘Shatabij Sowing Festival.’ The festival is observed primarily in memory of ancestors and is dedicated to their spiritual salvation.

The ritual of scattering Shatabij at Devghat is considered highly auspicious. For this reason, people from across the eastern Mechi to the western Mahakali region have traveled to Devghat in hopes of performing rites for the salvation of their ancestors. Devotees remain awake through the night, lighting lamps, chanting prayers and scattering the Shatabij in the morning.

To manage the large number of devotees, the Devghat Rural Municipality and the Devghat Area Development Committee have jointly organised the event. Efforts have been made to install street lights along the riverbanks, build sanitation facilities and manage traffic. 

Purna Bahadur Kunwar, Chairman of Devghat Rural Municipality-5, said that arrangements for security and transportation were made to ensure the comfort of the devotees. The Area Development Committee has also installed electric lights at the Beni Confluence. Additionally, police officers have been deployed from Damauli and Chitwan to ensure the safety of the devotees.

In Nepali, ‘Shat’ means one hundred and ‘Bij’ means seeds. Therefore, ‘Shatabij’ refers to one hundred types of seeds. However, traditionally, the seeds used in this ritual include rice, barley, wheat, chickpeas, sesame, mustard and maize. In addition, a variety of fruits such as bananas, sugarcane, oranges, pomegranates and lemons, as well as different types of flowers, are often included in the Shatabij mix.

On the night of Mangsir Krishna Trayodashi, devotees gather around temples to perform rituals in memory of their departed loved ones. They light Mahadeep (great lamps) in honour of the deceased, spending the night in prayer, bhajan (devotional singing) and folk performances.

Meanwhile, the religious sites of Arjun Dhara and Satasi Dham in Jhapa have also been overwhelmed by a massive influx of religious tourists. These visitors have come to participate in the religious festival and Mahayagya. With thousands of devotees arriving from Nepal and India to take part in the Shatabij ritual on Friday, managing the event has been a challenge.

At Arjun Dhara, known as the ‘Pashupatinath of the East,’ over two million lamps were lit simultaneously on Friday evening. According to the temple's chairman, Navin Gattani, the religious festival, which includes a Mahayagya, culminates every year on Bala Chaturdashi. The festival attracts over 100,000 internal and external tourists and is included in the government’s list of the 100 most important tourist destinations in Nepal.