Bala Chaturdashi — a religious event during which devotees prays for their deceased family members.
Also referred to as ‘Sat Bij Chharne Din’, the day is marked with devotees offering seven varieties of holy grains, fruits and coins to deities. Bala Chaturdashi falls on the 14th day after the full moon in the month of Kartik (late November — early December) as per Bikram Sambat calendar.
Also referred to as ‘Sat Bij Chharne Din’, the day is marked with devotees offering seven varieties of holy grains, fruits and coins to deities. Bala Chaturdashi falls on the 14th day after the full moon in the month of Kartik (late November — early December) as per Bikram Sambat calendar.
On the occasion, the devotees also perform ritual walk along the Slesmantak Forest which is situated just above the Pashupatinath Temple. As per tradition, devotees light traditional oil lamp and recite mantras, keeping themselves awake all the night to ensure that the lamp keeps burning. The next day, as day breaks, the devotees, who spent their sleepless night, take a holy dip in the Bagmati River and offer prayers to the guardian deity of Pashupatinath to wish eternal peace to departed ones. They set out for Guheshwori Temple to scatter the holy seeds before sunrise.
The story is about the relation of Bala Nandu with the dense forest of Shlesmantak sitated on the hills above the temple of Pashupatinath, east of Kathmandu. One day long ago, Bala Nanda, a trader, came to an auspicious cremation ground, Arya Ghat, to attend a cremation ceremony for one of his relatives. As the body lay burning on the pyre, mourners along wih Bala Nanda sat nearby and ate the ceremonial food being served, according to the custom. While eating a small portion of the dead body fell from the fire onto his plate. As soon as he inadvertently ate it he transoformed from an ordinary man into a horrible demon having silver head and become fond of human flesh. After that, Bala Nanda took the dead body from the pyre and devoured it and people being terrified fled from there. Having the behavior of a demon, his name was changed to Balsur, the great demon. Arya Ghat soon became the favorite place for Balasur, which explains why people became afraid to go to Arya Ghat to cremate their relatives and asked the king to solve the problem. Knowing Brisha Singh was a close friend of Balasur, the King asked him to kill Balasur. According to the king's desire Brisha deceived Balasur and killed him, using their bond of friendship.
Feeling guilt, Brisha meditated in the Shlesmantak and prayed to Lord Shiva for the salvation of his demon friend, Balasur. Lord Shiva gave him a blessing being pleased by his sincere affection for his friend and also told him to scatter sat bij, or seven varieties of grain, on the holy grounds of the Shlesmantak forest to cleanse the sin of cannibalism by Balasur and to erase his own guilt for killing a friend.
From that day on, the practice of scattering seven varieties of grain has said to have continued.
Feeling guilt, Brisha meditated in the Shlesmantak and prayed to Lord Shiva for the salvation of his demon friend, Balasur. Lord Shiva gave him a blessing being pleased by his sincere affection for his friend and also told him to scatter sat bij, or seven varieties of grain, on the holy grounds of the Shlesmantak forest to cleanse the sin of cannibalism by Balasur and to erase his own guilt for killing a friend.
From that day on, the practice of scattering seven varieties of grain has said to have continued.
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