At Kalika Bhagawati Temple in Lamjung Durbar, Gaun Sahar, Besisahar Municipality-3, special worship performed from Ghatasthapana to Purnima now includes prayers for the happiness, peace and prosperity of Nepali citizens, chief priest Somraj Baral says. The rituals and traditions have continued across generations, while the resolve made during the worship has shifted from seeking the well-being of the king to the welfare of the country’s people.
A change in the purpose of the worship
Baral said the special worship at the temple is accompanied by a resolve for the welfare of the people. In the past, he said, the resolve was made for the well-being of the king. It is now made with the hope that citizens across Nepal will have happiness, peace and prosperity.
The change is in whom the prayer is for, rather than an end to the established practice. The temple’s religious rituals and traditions have been followed for generations, and they continue as the purpose of the worship has evolved. The account of the ceremony therefore reflects both continuity in religious practice and a change in the wording and focus of its stated intention.
Worship from Ghatasthapana to Purnima
The special worship takes place over the period from Ghatasthapana to Purnima. The resolve for people’s welfare is part of that observance, according to Baral. The information available does not specify the individual rites performed on each day, but identifies the period of worship and the intention now associated with it.
The prayer is described in broad terms: happiness, peace and prosperity for Nepali citizens. Rather than being limited to a particular group, it is offered for the people of the country. Baral’s account links the temple’s present-day worship to a change in the beneficiary named in the resolve, from the king in the earlier practice to citizens now.
A tradition that continues in Lamjung
Kalika Bhagawati Temple is located within Lamjung Durbar in Gaun Sahar, which falls in Besisahar Municipality-3. Its worship remains part of a religious tradition maintained over generations. The reported change in purpose has taken place within that continuing tradition, not through the abandonment of the rituals and customs associated with the temple.
The account from the chief priest presents the observance as a practice that has adapted over time while retaining its established religious character. The prayers now express a collective wish for the well-being of Nepali citizens, while the temple continues the generations-old rituals during the period from Ghatasthapana to Purnima.
