Bala Chaturdashi in Pashupatinath

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On the occasion of Bala Chaturdashi, devotees from across Nepal have congregated in Pashupatinath temple. People pay homage to their near and dear ones, who died over last one year, on the occasion of Bala Chaturdashi. Also known as Satbij chharne din, people camp and observe penance the whole night, lighting oil lamps and keeping themselves awake throughout the night.

The Bala Chaturdashi Festival is one of the famous Nepali festivals observed in Hindus holy Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, in memory of their deceased beloved ones. The festival falls on the late November or early December each year. Besides Nepali devotees, Hindu devotees gather at river bank of holy river Bagmati by the holy temple. They usually stay the whole night lighting oil lamps, performing rituals and offer mixture of seeds the next day to pay homage to their deceased parents for better place in heaven.

Thousands of Hindu devotees from across the country have thronged in Pashupatinath temple and some other Hindu shrines from early morning today to pay homage to their near and dear ones, who died over the last one year, on the occasion of Bala Chaturdashi.
Families of those deceased sow the Satbeej (many different seeds) and lit lights praying for eternal peace to the deceased on this day. In Pashupati, the devotees have observed penance the whole night from the last night and have taken the holy dips this morning to sow the seeds.

The holy seeds of paddy, maize, wheat, barley and others are sown at Kailash, Gaurighat, Aryaghat, and Guheswori of Pashupati area, and Panchase, Galeshwor and Lord Shiva’s shrines across the country in Bala Chaturdashi that falls on Marga Krishna Chaturdashi.

As per the Hindu mythology, one’s ancestors will rest in heaven if such seeds are sown in the shrines of the Lord Shiva after lighting the lamps in their memory on the night of Marga Krishna Trayodashi.
In order to assist the devotees, the Pashupati Area Development Trust has arranged tents and other basic facilities, according to Trust’s Member Secretary Dr Pradeep Dhakal.