KATHMANDU: The Bibaha Panchami festival is being celebrated across the country today with devotees worshipping and offering homage to Shree Ramchandra and Sita.
The festival, which carries deep religious and cultural significance, falls on the fifth day of Shukla Paksha (the waxing phase of the moon) according to the lunar calendar. It commemorates the divine wedding of Hindu God Ram and Goddess Sita, believed to have taken place in the Tretayug.
The celebrations are particularly vibrant in the historic city of Janakpur, where thousands of devotees have thronged the renowned Janaki Temple since early morning to offer prayers. The city marks the occasion with great enthusiasm and religious fervor.
According to Hindu mythology, King Janak of Mithila, Sita’s father, set a test of strength for her suitors: to lift the mighty bow of Lord Shiva. Many warriors, princes, and chieftains attempted the challenge but failed.
However, Ram, a prince from ancient Ayodhya, lifted the bow with ease, and when he attempted to string it, the bow broke into pieces. Following this, Ram and Sita were married in Janakpur, then the capital of the ancient Mithila kingdom—a union still celebrated with devotion today.
Each year, idols of Ram and Sita are taken out in a grand procession, and their wedding ceremony is reenacted as part of a weeklong religious festival. In keeping with Mithila culture, various rituals such as matkor, tilakotsav, and swayambar are also performed alongside the symbolic marriage ceremony.
Comment