Kathmandu, September 29
On the seventh day of the great Dashain festival, households across Nepal are observing Phulpati, a ritual symbolizing good fortune. Each year, on Ashwin Shukla Saptami under the Durga Paksha, the Navapatrika (nine sacred plants) is ritually brought into homes according to classical traditions.
From the day of Ghatasthapana, devotees worship Goddess Durga following Vedic rituals. On this day, sugarcane, turmeric, banana plant, rice stalks, bel leaves, pomegranate, jayanti, ashoka flowers, and manavriksha are ceremonially placed in the Dashain Ghar or household shrine.
Known as Navapatrika or Phulpati, these nine plants symbolize the presence of nine forms of the Goddess, each worshipped with prayers for divine strength. As explained by religious scholar Prof Dr Ram Chandra Gautam: “Brahmani is invoked in the banana plant, Rakta Dantika in the pomegranate, Lakshmi in the rice stalks, Durga in turmeric, Chamunda in manavriksha, Kali in sugarcane, Shiva in bel leaves, Shokarahita in ashoka, and Kartiki in jayanti. These deities are attendants of the Nava Durga.”
The Nepal Panchang Committee has stated that no special auspicious time is required for bringing in Phulpati.
Traditionally, Phulpati for Hanumandhoka Durbar’s Dashain Ghar in Kathmandu is brought from Gorkha. Six Magar representatives, along with temple priests, carry it to Jivanpur of Dhading, from where six Brahmins from Kathmandu take it onward to Jamal. From Jamal, high-ranking government officials, the Gorkha regiment, bands, cultural troupes, and traditional music groups accompany the Phulpati procession to Hanumandhoka. This year, the ritual is scheduled for the afternoon.
A team from Kathmandu left for Jivanpur on Saturday to collect the Phulpati, according to Sandip Khanal, chief of the Hanumandhoka Palace Care Office. From Jivanpur, the procession will pass through Swayambhu, where the sacred Mane flower will also be added to the Navapatrika before reaching Jamal, where it will be formally received and carried to Hanumandhoka.
Dashain festivities gain momentum from today
With Phulpati, the Dashain festival begins to gather full momentum. The social celebrations of Durga Puja, which began on Ghatasthapana with the planting of jamara (barley sprouts), intensify from this day onward.
As government offices close for the holiday, people working in different professions begin returning to their hometowns to receive tika and blessings from elders, causing Kathmandu Valley to gradually empty out. The usually busy streets now see fewer vehicles.
Meanwhile, in villages, traditional wooden swings (linge ping and rote ping) are set up in public spaces, adding to the festive atmosphere, while kite flying continues as a popular Dashain pastime.
