Visual Stories
Devotees throng Hanuman Ghat to mark Swasthani Brata festival (In photos)
The Swasthani Brata, the annual festival commemorating Goddess Swasthani, began on Monday, with hundred of devotees thronging Hanuman Ghat in Bhaktapur on Tuesday morning.Photos by: Sanjog Manandhar
The Swasthani Brata, the annual festival commemorating Goddess Swasthani, began on Monday, with hundred of devotees thronging Hanuman Ghat in Bhaktapur on Tuesday morning.
The festival, also known as Madhav Naryan festival, usually begins on the full moon day in the Nepali month of Poush (between January and Feburary) and ends on the next full moon day.
Likewise, the mention of Shali Nadi (river) in the story makes it a major holy place for the devotees to visit during the month of Swasthani Brata Katha recitation.
The month-long festival draws pilgrims from across the country to Sankhu. Many devotees set up their camp on the river banks for the entire duration of the festival.
The devotees who keep fast take only one meal a day and recite the story of Goddess Swasthani in mid-afternoon, while those not keeping fast narrate the story either early in the morning or in the evening just after the daily puja.
Goddess Swasthani, it is believed, grants the wishes of her devotees who keep fast in her name.