Dhanusha, November 20
The week-long religious celebration of the Sita–Ram Bibaha Panchami Festival, grandly observed every year in Janakpurdham, formally begins today. The first day features the Nagar Darshan procession.
The week-long programme includes Nagar Darshan today, Phulbari Leela on Friday, Dhanush Yagya on the 6th, Tilakotsav on the 7th, Matkor on the 8th, and Swayambar along with the auspicious wedding ceremony on the 9th. The festival will conclude on the 10th with the Ramkalewa ritual.
Preparations for the festival are in full swing. According to the Janaki Temple management, works ranging from cleaning to constructing decorative pavilions are underway at the Janaki Temple area, Rangabhoomi ground, and the Barhabigha premises. Electric lighting is also being installed in the alleys and monasteries around the temple.
The main events of Bibhaha Panchami will be centred at the Janaki Temple and the Barhabigha Rangabhoomi ground. Observed annually on the Panchami tithi of the waxing moon in the month of Mangsir, the festival draws hundreds of thousands of devotees from various parts of Nepal and India to Janakpurdham.
The Janaki Temple management committee said that this year too, a large number of sadhus, saints, mahants, yogis, monks, and nuns will arrive from various religious centres in India, including Ayodhya, Rishikesh, and Haridwar. Recognised as the cultural capital of Mithila, this festival has long served as an important platform for strengthening Nepal–India religious ties.
However, Mahant Ram Roshan Das, the temple’s successor priest, said that unlike in previous years when government agencies provided financial or managerial support, no such support has been received this time.
According to Chief District Officer Prem Prasad Luintel, security arrangements have been tightened for the Bibaha Panchami celebration.
