President Ram Chandra Paudel will receive tika from the Guru Purohit as part of this year's Dashain festival, according to reports published on October 20, 2026. The reports, carried the same day by Baahrakhari and Thaha Khabar, said the ceremony will follow the traditional role that the Guru Purohit performs in the Dashain ritual observed by Nepal's head of state. The announcement comes as families across Nepal prepare for the festival season, when elders apply tika, offer jamara and bless younger relatives with wishes for good health, long life and prosperity.
A Ritual Rooted in Tradition
The news that President Paudel will receive tika from the Guru Purohit follows an established pattern in the way Nepal's top office marks Dashain. According to the reports, the tika ceremony is tied directly to the Dashain festival and reflects the long-standing place of the Guru Purohit in the presidential ritual.
Within the traditional order of Dashain observances, tika received from one's guru or family priest carries particular significance, and the same logic applies at the level of the state. In the presidential ritual, the Guru Purohit is the figure from whom the head of state receives tika, and the forthcoming ceremony will adhere to that arrangement.
The reports published on October 20 did not specify the exact day of the festival on which the ceremony will take place, nor the venue where President Paudel will receive the tika. Details such as the timing fixed by the traditional almanac and any accompanying programmes were likewise not included, meaning the public will need to wait for a fuller schedule as the festival draws closer.
Tika, Jamara and the Meaning of Dashain
Dashain is Nepal's biggest festival, celebrated by Hindus across the country and by Nepali communities around the world. The celebration spans several days, beginning with Ghatasthapana, when the goddess Durga is invoked and jamara is sown, and building towards Vijaya Dashami, the day of tika. On that day, elders apply tika - a mixture of rice, vermilion and yogurt - to the foreheads of younger family members and place shoots of jamara on their heads as a mark of blessing.
The key elements of the festival include:
- Ghatasthapana - the ritual installation of the sacred kalash and the sowing of jamara at the start of the festival
- Tika - the auspicious mark applied by elders to the forehead of younger relatives
- Jamara - the yellow-green barley shoots offered alongside tika as a symbol of blessing
- Blessings and family reunions - the social heart of Dashain, as people travel to ancestral homes and elders bless the younger generation
Receiving tika from a guru, elder or priest is considered especially meaningful within this framework, which is why the Guru Purohit's role in the presidential ritual draws attention each year. The same cultural logic - blessings flowing from the senior to the junior, from the teacher to the disciple - underpins the ceremony planned for President Paudel.
How the Story Was Reported
The news that President Paudel will receive tika from the Guru Purohit was published on October 20, 2026, by two outlets: Baahrakhari and Thaha Khabar. Both carried the same report on the same day, indicating that the information circulated as a single item of news through Nepal's media.
Thaha Khabar's report was published on its website, stating that the President will receive tika from the Guru Purohit in line with the traditional role of the Guru Purohit in the presidential ritual.
The pickup of the story across outlets reflects the interest that attaches to the Dashain observances of the head of state. In Nepal, festival rituals connected to the country's highest offices are followed closely, both as news and as a continuation of cultural tradition, and the tika ceremony involving the President and the Guru Purohit is among the most symbolic of these observances.
What Is Known, and What Remains Unsaid
The confirmed facts are straightforward. President Ram Chandra Paudel will receive tika from the Guru Purohit. The ceremony is part of the Dashain festival. It follows the traditional role of the Guru Purohit in the presidential ritual, and the reports announcing it were published on October 20, 2026, by both Baahrakhari and Thaha Khabar.
What the reports do not yet say includes:
- The exact day of Dashain on which the tika will be applied
- The venue for the ceremony
- Whether members of the President's family or other officials will take part
- Any public programme connected to the occasion
Until those details are confirmed, the reports stand as an early indication of how the head of state will mark the country's most important festival - receiving tika from the Guru Purohit, in keeping with a tradition that continues to link the presidency to the ritual calendar of Dashain.
