Women worship seven sages on last day of Teej

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 29: The three-day festival of Teej concluded on Thursday with the worship of the seven sages. On the last day, women who observed the Teej fast celebrated Rishi Panchami by worshipping the Saptarishi – Kashyapa, Atri, Bharadwaja, Vishwamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, and Vashishta. 

Today, women bathed in rivers, ponds, or other water sources. After bathing, they brushed their teeth and chewed a special herb called Datiwan as part of their morning rituals, using 108 pieces of Datiwans during this practice. 

Likewise, they applied clay to their bodies and bathed again in a river or pond. They took a mixture of milk, curd, ghee, sugarcane juice, and cow dung in a bronze vessel and consumed a few drops. This festival celebrates women’s health, self-purification, and empowerment. 

It is believed that observing this ritual grants freedom from all sins committed knowingly or unknowingly during menstruation. In Hinduism, women are considered ceremonially unclean during menstruation and are traditionally not supposed to touch others, cook food, or perform religious rituals until their period is over. 

Temples such as Risheshwor Mahadev in Teku, Mulpani, and other locations were crowded with devotees.