Holy dip rush at Kaligandaki

By Tilachan Pandey,Tamghas (Gulmi), Nov. 2: A large number of devo tees gathered along the banks of the Kaligandaki River on Saturday to take a holy dip and worship the sacred Shaligram on the occasion of Haribodhini Ekadashi.

Haribidhani Ekadashi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of the four-month monsoon slumber of Lord Bishnu. 

Pilgrims thronged Setibeni, a sacred confluence of the Gulmi, Syangja, and Parbat districts, where they performed ritual baths and offered prayers to the Shaligram, naturally occurring fossils revered as representations of Lord Bishnu.

According to religious belief, taking a holy bath in the Kaligandaki River and offering prayers to the Shaligram on Ekadashi day absolves one of sins committed unknowingly and fulfils one’s heartfelt wishes.Similarly, devotees also flocked to Ridi, another confluence of the Kaligandaki River in Gulmi, Syangja, and Palpa districts, to bathe and visit the Rishikesh Temple. 

“It is believed that bathing in the Kaligandaki and visiting the temple helps one achieve success and purifies the mind and soul,” said devotee Purushottam Pandey of Kaligandaki Rural Municipality-1, Gulmi.

In the Resunga area, a religious and tourist site in Gulmi, a special Ekadashi fair was also held. Devotees gathered to bathe in the sacred pond and visit temples in Siddha and Yagyashala.

Resunga Conservation Committee Chairperson Suresh Chandra Bhusal said several subcommittees were formed to manage the fair and ensure smooth organisation.

Photo caption: Devotees taking a holy dip in the Kaligandaki River and worshipping the sacred Shila Shaligram on Haribodhini Ekadashi.