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The annual "Bhoot Mela" or the Ghost Fair has convened on the embankments of the Kamala River in Nepal on Wednesday, with thousands of people attending the fair.
The river that serves as a boundary between the Dhanusha and Siraha Districts was crowded with devotees performing rituals from early morning, marking the occasion of Kartik Purnima. According to traditional beliefs, bathing in the Kamala River on Kartik Shukla Purnima is said to ward off evil spirits, appease deities, and alleviate various afflictions. Shamans perform rituals for ancestral spirits and deities on this day, giving the event its name, the "Bhoot Mela." The religious chanters move their bodies and spin their heads in response to the beats of the 'Madal', cymbals, drums, and pipahi barrels. It is often also considered an oath ceremony for these performers, who claim to have supernatural powers to communicate with ghosts and resolve issues. All such performers are believed to have completed their learning and will be deemed fit to perform the rituals only after they take a dip in the Kamala River. This annual fair is attended by people from Saptari, Mahottari, and Udaypur, as well as Indian cities such as Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, and Jaynagar, among others. After the ritual bath, devotees, along with the religious performers, collect pure water from the Kamala River to take home. Sprinkling this water around their homes is believed to purify the space. The common belief is that a bath in the Kamala on this day frees one from suffering, conflict, and sin. On this day, new shamans also come to bathe, believing it will grant them spiritual power in their practices. The process of becoming a Dhami is completed after the Mooldhami completes the mantra. The Mithilanchal, ancient city of Mithila, has had faith in Tantravidha (Tantrism) for centuries. Locally known as "Dhamijhakri"- Saman, a new apprentice dressed in a yellow dhoti and saree, swings an earthen lid (pot) with a burning fire in his hand and a cane stick and shouts loudly. They say that they have come to bathe in the Ganges to perfect the deity that has come to them. (ANI)
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