Kathmandu, May 17
A month-long Purushottam Maas (Adhik Maas) fair has begun at the Matsyanarayan Temple located in Machhegaun, Kathmandu.
Also known as the ‘Malmass Mela’, the religious event attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees from across the Kathmandu Valley and different parts of the country during this sacred period.
According to Hindu beliefs, worshipping Lord Narayan with devotion during Purushottam Maas is believed to cleanse all sins and bring spiritual merit and blessings.
Driven by this faith, large crowds of devotees gather at the Machhenarayan Temple throughout the fair for worship and rituals.
The temple’s main attraction is an approximately one-foot-tall idol of Lord Matsyanarayan, believed to have emerged from the mouth of a fish, depicted holding a conch, discus, mace, and lotus in his four hands.
According to various Hindu scriptures, the Matsya incarnation is regarded as the first among the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Religious mythology states that during the time of the great deluge, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a fish and acted as a boat in the ocean to protect the sacred Vedas.
