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Month-long fasting of Madhav Narayan has formally begun in Nepal with Hindu devotees gathering on the embankments of rivers to worship Lord Vishnu.
Devotees keep fasting for a month and devote themselves to Lord Vishnu performing various rituals. On the first day of the fasting, they took a holy dip at Hanuman Ghat of Bhaktapur. This festival starts alongside Swasthani Brata observed in Sankhu of Kathmandu which starts annually from Paush Shukla Poornima (Full Moon Day) to Magh Shukla Poornima. Though both places observe the festival starting and ending on the same day, the events in Bhaktapur are different from that from Sankhu. During the fasting month, devotees wake up early in the morning take a holy bath in the nearby river, and stay still for some time in the water. They get up from the water only after a priest finishes the mantras which usually takes about 5 minutes. "The Madhav Narayan has started being observed from 722 Bikram Sambat as mentioned in the religious scriptures. Despite being old, it got hindered for some years but since my childhood, it has started being observed continuously," Uddhav Khaitu, a fasting devotee told ANI. The fasting devotees for a month only eat one time a day- in the evening following restrictions on eateries. "Those food items which don't produce oil are consumed. Certain type of spinach is not permitted to be consumed, potatoes are edible but not re-cooked or those items which need to be turned back and forth while cooking is consumed, molasses and sugar are consumed as well as milk but not the curd," Khaitu said. Throughout the month, the processors roll down up to the river which is called Silamantulegu. Likewise, some of them practice Madulyau, where they lie down to the earth like Sastanga Namaskar which they follow in each proceeding step. As the fasting month is observed mainly by women in Sankhu, the festival of Madhav Narayan is mostly observed by male devotees rather than women. "I started keeping this fast since my childhood when I was just five years, and since then, I have continued it. I keep this fast for my family's wellness and healthiness, this is the reason which drives me to take the fast," Kishor Shrestha, another fasting devotee told ANI. The Hanumante River is an important tributary of the Bagmati River though the significant sources of water in the Hanumante River are rainfall and natural springs. It is said that this river has been the major natural waterway in the Bhaktapur district. Hanumanghat has also been on the list of important ghats in Kathmandu Valley, seeing its terms of religious importance for the cremation of the deceased. The Barta and festival regarding Madhav Narayan are not only done in Sakhu and Bhaktapur but also have immense importance in Lalitpur. Despite that, the journey of Madhav Narayan is concluded in different cities including Panauti, Pharping, Pashupatinath of Kathmandu, Hanuman ghat, and Changunarayan of Bhaktapur. There are different processes and routes followed by different cities regarding this journey of Madhav Narayan's idol. Like the idol of Madhav Narayan of Sakhnu is carried and roams toward Pashupatinath, Shees Narayan of Pharping, Hanuman ghat, Changunarayan, Pananti, and then returns back to Sankhu. But the procession from Bhaktapur does not cover all these places and follows the same segments. The devotees along with the idol of Madhav Narayan travel to other pilgrims such as Pashupatinath, Panauti, and Changu, all by foot but it does not cover the pilgrim like Shesh Narayan of Pharping. (ANI)
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