Tharu Women Conclude Jitiya Festival Rituals in Chitwan

Chitwan. Indigenous Tharu women have completed the holy rituals of the final day of the Jitiya festival on the bank of the Khageri River in Kalika Municipality-5, Chitwan. After observing a strict waterless fast on Ashtami after eating Dar (Datkat) on Saptami, the women completed the rituals of worshipping and immersing the sun god on Monday morning, the final day of Jitiya. After bathing in the cold river water, the fasting women offered water and arghya to the sun god and immersed the effigies of a kite and a fox (chilo-siyero), which were made from the Jita-bahan established as Lord Vishnu the previous day, in the river. Regarding the festival, Niru Chaudhary of Kalika-5 said, “Today is the last day of our Jitiya. Yesterday, we fasted all day and listened to the mythological story of Jita-bahan in the evening, and today, on the last day, we came to the Khageri River to worship the sun god, bathed, and performed the puja.” After immersing Jita-bahan on the riverbank, the women molded clean river mud to create ‘Gauraganga’, i.e., effigies of small children. In the Tharu community, the Jitiya festival is mainly celebrated for the good health, long life, and prosperity of children, and these mud effigies are considered symbols of future children, and there is a tradition of worshipping them by applying vermilion and kajal. After applying vermilion and kajal to the mud Gauraganga, it was worshipped by covering it with the sprouted lentils, i.e., ‘Jakuri’, which were sprouted in the previous days, and clean belpatra picked the previous day. Jakuri has special religious significance in the Jitiya festival. It is believed that the Jakuri (lentils) of a person who observes a waterless fast with an honest and pure heart will sprout a lot and well, but the Jakuri of those who fast only for show will not sprout well. Therefore, this festival teaches people to worship with a pure heart, without harboring sin or deceit in their minds. After worshipping the sun god, immersing Jita-bahan, and offering Jakuri on the riverbank, the fasting women bathed in the river again. After bathing, the women officially completed the ‘Paran’ (completion of the rigorous fast) by mixing the holy materials and Prasad kept while listening to the story of Jita-bahan the previous night, roasting them, and consuming them. Photo: Nisha Shrestha/Nepal Photo Library