Mon, 12 October 2026
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Mon, 12 October 2026
By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Oct. 12: The nine-night festival of Navaratri, celebrated as Bada Dashain, has begun across Nepal with the observance of Ghatasthapana, the first day of the festival. On this occasion, Hindu households and temples performed religious rituals, sowed seeds for Jamara and worshipped Goddess Shailaputri, the first form of Goddess Durga.
On the occasion, families across the country sowed barley, maize and other grains in soil-filled vessels to grow the sacred Jamara, which is offered along with tika to younger family members on Bijaya Dashami. Devotees also established the sacred Kalash, a water-filled vessel, and worshipped Goddess Durga according to Vedic traditions.
Special ceremonies were held at the Dashain Ghar in the historic Hanumandhoka Palace in Kathmandu and at the Dashain Ghar of Gorkha Palace. Rituals were also performed at the Gorkhakali and Gorakhnath temples, the Gorakhnath Baba cave and other religious sites in Gorkha district.
Hari Aryal, the main priest of the Gorkha Palace, stated that the ritual sowing of Jamara to mark Ghatasthapana was successfully completed at the auspicious time of 11:47 am on Sunday.
According to him, six manas of barley seeds were planted in the Dashain Ghar of Gorkha Palace—one pathi in the jamara room and four manas in the Gorkhanath Baba cave at the auspicious time. Similarly, one mana of barley seeds was planted at the upper fort (Kot) and one mana at the lower fort of Gorkha Palace. Three pathis of barley were sown at various other locations.
According to officials at the Gorkha Durbar Maintenance Office, barley seeds were planted at the palace’s Dashain Ghar, the Gorakhnath Baba cave and the upper and lower forts at astrologically determined auspicious times. The seeds will sprout into Jamara after 10 days.
Chief priest Hari Aryal said the year’s Dashain worship had formally begun with Ghatasthapana. As part of the traditional ceremonies, the goddess Kali Bhagwati was brought to the Dashain Ghar from Kailash Bhawan.
Similarly, Ghatasthapana was observed at the Dashain Ghar within the Nishan Temple in Dhankuta by sowing jamara (sacred barley shoots) at the auspicious time. The tradition of sowing jamara for Dashain has been continuously observed since 1774 (1831 BS) at the Nishan Bhagwati Temple, located at Bichbar in Dhankuta Municipality-6, the district headquarters. Paddy, barley, and maize seeds have been grown as jamara in the Dashain Ghar.
The ritual was also observed at the Dashain Ghars of the historic palace complexes in Patan and Bhaktapur and at several temples dedicated to Goddess Durga in the Kathmandu Valley. Religious sites including Manakamana Temple, Shreenathmandali and Liglig Kot in Gorkha also marked the occasion.
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