Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari celebrated Vijaya Dashami, the tenth and most important day of the Dashain festival, at her residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, receiving jamara and blessings from her mother, Mithila Pandey, before offering tika to her daughter and son-in-law and later to the general public, well-wishers and party workers who called on her during the day. The rituals unfolded at her home in the heart of the capital, where the former head of state followed the familiar custom of elders blessing the younger generation first, and then opening the doors to citizens and well-wishers on the festival day.
Blessings first from her mother
The ceremony at Baluwatar began within the family. Bhandari received jamara and blessings from her mother, Mithila Pandey, in a moment that reflected the core spirit of Vijaya Dashami, when elders across Nepal apply tika and jamara to the younger members of their families. In Nepali tradition, the blessing flows downward through the generations, and receiving tika from one's own mother carries special emotional weight, regardless of the recipient's age or public standing.
Having received the blessings of the family's senior-most member, the former president then took up her own role as an elder. She offered tika to her daughter and son-in-law, blessing the couple in the manner that defines the day in households across the country, from remote villages to the residences of the country's top leadership in Kathmandu.
Tika and greetings for the public
After the family rituals, the residence took on a more public character. According to her personal secretary Raj Kumar Rai, as reported by RatoPati and Khabarhub, Bhandari offered tika to the general public, well-wishers and party workers who arrived at her Baluwatar residence on the occasion.
Rai further said that the former president exchanged Vijaya Dashami greetings with those present, wishing them well on the festival. Such open-house tika ceremonies are a well-established feature of Vijaya Dashami in Nepal, when the homes of the president, former presidents, prime ministers and senior party leaders traditionally become stops for citizens, cadres and well-wishers who line up to receive tika and exchange greetings in person.
The day's events at Baluwatar, as described by her secretariat, can be summarized as follows:
- Bhandari received jamara and blessings from her mother, Mithila Pandey.
- She offered tika to her daughter and son-in-law.
- She distributed tika to members of the general public, well-wishers and party workers.
- She exchanged Vijaya Dashami greetings with everyone present.
The traditions behind the tika
Vijaya Dashami, observed on the tenth day of the fifteen-day Bada Dashain festival, is the centerpiece of Nepal's biggest cultural celebration. The festivities begin with Ghatasthapana, when barley seeds are sown in sand-filled vessels and ritually worshipped over the following days. The yellow-green shoots that grow from this sowing become the jamara that elders place on the heads and ears of their juniors along with tika, a paste of rice, vermilion and yogurt applied to the forehead.
Along with the tika and jamara, elders give blessings for long life, good health, prosperity and success, while juniors in return offer respect, gifts and greetings. The day is traditionally reserved for family, with relatives moving from the homes of the eldest members to the youngest branches of the family tree. This is why the blessing a person receives from a parent, such as the one Bhandari received from her mother, is often considered the most treasured of the festival.
A familiar public role for the former president
Bhandari, who served two consecutive terms as Nepal's first female head of state before completing her presidency in 2023, remained at the center of public attention on the festival day as members of the public and party workers made their way to her residence. Nepal Press also covered the tika distribution, which took place alongside the family observances at the Baluwatar residence.
For leaders, the Dashain open house offers a rare occasion for direct and informal contact with the public, and the exchange of greetings at Baluwatar followed that pattern. The former president's greetings to those present, conveyed through her secretariat, reflected the festival's central message of goodwill, the renewal of bonds between elders and the younger generation, and the enduring place of Vijaya Dashami in the public life of the country's political figures.
