BHAKTAPUR: President Ram Chandra Paudel visited the Nawadurga Temple in Bhaktapur on Sunday on the occasion of Kojagrat Purnima, the final day of the Bada Dashain festival, and paid homage to the Hindu deities.
After performing special puja dedicated to Nawadurga, the President received tika and prasad from the temple’s chief priest, Indra Bahadur Banmala.
Ramesh Karmacharya assisted the President in performing the Sankalpa Puja dedicated to Nawadurga.
Following the rituals, the President offered money to 28 Devaganas, including the priests, as part of the religious tradition.
The President was welcomed at the temple by Bagmati Province Chief Minister Kiran Thapa Magar, provincial Minister for Industry, Tourism, Labour and Transport Rajendra Prajapati, federal lawmaker Rukesh Ranjit of Bhaktapur-1, Chief District Officer Binod Bahadur Khadka, district chiefs of security agencies and the chief of the Guthi Sansthan Office in Bhaktapur.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Thapa Magar provided Rs. 100,000 to the Bhaktapur Nawadurga Devagana Jatra and Temple Management Committee to support the celebration of the Nawadurga Festival.
The President also presented a letter of appreciation to the committee in recognition of its role in preserving the festival and its religious traditions.
According to the Chief Minister, the financial assistance was provided to help organise the festival.
Narayan Prasad Banmala, an adviser to the Nawadurga Temple Management Committee, said that the tradition of the head of state participating in the religious rituals and offering prayers for the well-being of the nation and its people, as well as protection from natural disasters, continued after the 2045 BS earthquake.
The nine Hindu goddesses worshipped on the occasion are Brahmayani, Maheshwari, Kumari, Vaishnavi, Barahi, Mahakali, Mahalaxmi, Tripurasundari and Bhadrakali.