Nepal was immersed in devotion on October 20 as devotees across the country observed Maha Nawami, the ninth day of the Bada Dashain festival, with special worship of Goddess Durga Bhawani. From early in the day, worshippers made their way to Shakti shrines in the Kathmandu Valley and far beyond it, presenting offerings and performing traditional rituals at temples and in their homes, as reported by Onlinekhabar and The Himalayan Times. Regarded as one of the most important days of the festival, Maha Nawami once again filled the temples dedicated to the goddess with crowds of the faithful, with prayers, sacrifices and ritual worship marking observances across the country.
Crowds fill the Kathmandu Valley's Shakti shrines
The temples of the Kathmandu Valley remained crowded throughout the day as devotees lined up to offer their worship to the goddess. Shrines across the capital and its surrounding districts saw heavy footfall, with Khabarhub noting that devotees thronged goddess shrines and temples in the valley and elsewhere as part of the ninth-day observances. Among the shrines that drew worshippers on the day were:
- Guheshwori
- Kalikasthan
- Naxal Bhagawati
- Bhadrakali
- Shova Bhagawati
- Bijeshwori
- Indrayani
- Raktakali
- Chamunda Mai
- Sundari Mai
- Bajrayogini
At each of these sites, devotees presented offerings and carried out rituals in keeping with the traditions of the ninth day, while families conducted worship of the goddess in their homes as well. The scale of the gatherings underlined the centrality of Goddess Durga Bhawani to the Dashain celebrations observed by households across Nepal, with the goddess temples serving as the focal point of devotion for the day.
Prayers, sacrifices and weapon worship
Reports of the day's observances described them as marked by prayers, sacrifices and weapon worship, ritual elements long associated with Maha Nawami. The worship of the goddess on this day, the ninth of the festival, stands among the most significant acts of devotion in the Dashain calendar. Alongside the rituals performed at the major Shakti temples, families across the country marked the day with offerings in their homes, extending the observance from the public sphere of temple courtyards into private households. The combination of temple worship and household ritual gave the day its distinctive character, with devotees in the capital and in towns and districts across the country taking part in the same traditions.
Taleju Bhawani Temple opens for its single annual day
In Bhaktapur, hundreds of devotees gathered at the historic Taleju Bhawani Temple, which opens to the public only once a year, on the occasion of Maha Nawami. The rare opening makes the ninth day of Bada Dashain a singular occasion for worshippers in the historic city, and the crowds that assembled took the opportunity to offer their worship to the goddess within its precincts. The gathering at Taleju Bhawani stood out among the day's observances, drawing devotees in numbers that filled the temple grounds as the worship proceeded. For the residents of Bhaktapur and the devotees who travelled there, the temple's single annual opening gave the day a significance beyond the rituals performed elsewhere, anchoring the city's place in the wider festival celebrations.
Devotion beyond the capital
The observances were not confined to the Kathmandu Valley. Devotees also flocked to the Budha Subba Temple in Bijayapur, Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-14, in Sunsari, where crowds gathered to offer worship on the ninth day of the festival. The turnout at the eastern temple demonstrated that the enthusiasm seen in the valley was mirrored across the country, with devotees in Sunsari turning out in numbers to mark the day. Together with the scenes at the valley's shrines, the crowds in Dharan illustrated how Maha Nawami is observed simultaneously at temples and in homes throughout Nepal, binding communities in a shared act of devotion to Goddess Durga Bhawani.
Maha Ashtami sets the stage for Nawami
The ninth-day crowds followed a similarly busy eighth day of the festival. Maha Ashtami, observed the day before Maha Nawami, was likewise marked by large crowds at Shakti shrines, including Guheshwari and Maitidevi. The two consecutive days of heavy footfall at the goddess temples underscored the central place that the worship of Durga Bhawani holds in the Dashain festivities. With Ashtami and Nawami both drawing devotees to the major shrines in large numbers, the festival has seen some of its most significant moments of collective worship in the space of just two days, as temples and households alike have honoured the goddess with offerings and ritual.
As the day's worship concluded at temples and in homes, Maha Nawami once again affirmed its place as a defining day of the Bada Dashain festival. From the once-a-year opening of the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Bhaktapur to the crowds at the Budha Subba Temple in Dharan, the ninth day brought devotees together in observances that spanned the country, honouring Goddess Durga Bhawani with prayers, offerings and traditional ritual.
