Navaratri begins with Ghatasthapana, marking start of Dashain

KATHMANDU: Navaratri, the nine-night festival of Bada Dashain, Nepal’s biggest Hindu festival, begins today with Ghatasthapana, marking the start of Dashain rituals across the country.

Observed on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright lunar fortnight in the month of Asoj, Ghatasthapana marks the beginning of the festival’s religious observances.

On this day, devotees perform Vedic rituals by worshipping the diyo (oil lamp), kalash (sacred water vessel) and Lord Ganesh. They also sow maize and barley seeds in a mixture of soil and cow dung to grow jamara (sacred shoots), which are later used in Dashain rituals.