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Meet the Maithil Women Artists of Nepal

How a dynamic group is transforming a wall painting tradition

by Claire Burkert
written by Claire Burkert

In 1988, in a mud and wattle home in Southern Nepal, I photographed a painting of Lord Siva. The artist, an elderly woman named Sita Devi, had chosen to paint Siva in hopes that He would bless the marriage of her nephew and his new wife.

Sita Devi’s Siva painting on the wall behind her daughter-in-law

What looked like propellers extending from Siva’s head was His flyaway hair. His feet were not crossed in a dance, but rather, she corrected me, were folded in the lotus position: the blue shape between his bent legs defined the empty space there, and the squiggly lines on either side of him were the stripes of the tiger skin on which he was seated. Sita Devi, who learned to paint from her mother, told me wistfully, “The girls don’t give painting attention anymore. Their world is very different from my world. To them, how can a triangle be a nose?” Sita Devi foretold what I would later perceive: the wall painting tradition of Maithil women of Nepal was about to disappear.

Mithila was once a kingdom extending over part of southeastern Nepal and India’s state of Bihar. For generations, Maithil women passed from mother to daughter the practice of wall painting, which was often carried out on the occasion of weddings. Perhaps singing devotional songs as they worked, they called upon the Hindu Gods to bless a newly married couple and secure the well-being of their families. The paintings conformed to a shared Maithil style, with figures outlined first with black and then colors filled in later. Faces were often depicted in profile with wide almond-shaped eyes. Frequently, bold geometric or floral patterns bordered windows and the doorway of the house. Lotus flowers, bamboo, turtles, and fish, symbolizing fertility and generations to come, were essential elements of the design made in the wedding chamber.

Self-portrait by Sudhira Karna

That the women painted out of deep faith and belief and not for personal expression or recognition moved me. I was a young American, not too long out of college art classes with their rigorous critiques and technical exercises. The paintings of Mithila (also known as Madhubani) were undertaken foremost for an audience of Gods. They were not subject to critical reviews and they were ephemeral. If the monsoon rains did not erase them, they were covered over with a mixture of fresh mud, dung, and hay for Laxmi puja, the worship of the Goddess of wealth occurring in the autumn, or for Jur Sital, a spring festival of the new year. At these times, women and girls with mud-spattered faces were seen throughout the village, standing on ladders propped against walls and vigorously smearing mud and dung. The villages with their uniform mud and wattle walls and tile roofs looked pristine, gleaming, renewed. The walls were ready for new paintings.

But gradually Hindi movie posters were favored over painted images, and when brick and cement walls replaced the walls of traditional mud and wattle, these seemed to entirely block the inspiration to paint. Moreover, as Sita Devi had pointed out, the young girls were growing interested in different things.

I decided that the art should be documented and based myself in Janakpur, the legendary city of Sita and Ram’s marriage. With the assistance of Professor Rajendra Bimal, a poet, and professor of the Maithili language, I toured villages in the vicinity of Janakpur. I could not have known then that what had begun as my simple quest to make portraits of the artists with their paintings would evolve into a lifelong commitment to Maithil women and their tradition of making art.

In the early years, on our long hot trips by foot and rickshaw to local villages, Professor Bimal coached me in Hinduism and Maithil culture. I learned there are 40 million Maithil in India and over three million in Nepal where I live. We witnessed the all-night rituals of weddings as well as other rituals related to marriage, such as Dwiragman, when a bride arrives at her new husband’s home to take up life with his family. I first learned about Dwiragaman when I visited the home of ninety-year-old Baachani Devi, who had painted for this occasion the God Dharmaraj. This God who judges one’s destiny based on one’s deeds was a somber choice for a painting to welcome the bride of her great-nephew, and I often wondered how the bride fared in her new home.

Hand-painted dolls representing Goddess Lakshmi are popular items in the JWDC gift shop.

And so it was that steadily the paintings on the walls led me behind the walls, to the private lives and concerns of the women artists and their families. I was aware of their poverty, and the strife that a lack of resources caused in the household. There were some women who were too shy to speak: most memorably there was Manjula, who hid from me, speaking in a whisper from behind a door, the edge of her sari pulled over her face, the custom in the presence of strangers. I could not have foreseen that one day Manjula would be calling me on her mobile phone, that she would be the manager of a group of women artists from communities all around Janakpur, and that she would have traveled internationally five times to represent works of Maithil art on paper. “If I had not traveled, I couldn’t have become what I am today. Now I am confident and share my thoughts,” she recently explained.

Bimal and I traveled to India where I witnessed what had happened when paper was introduced to the wall painting tradition. In the 1960s, in an effort for draught relief, Pupul Jayakar, chair of the All-India Crafts Board, had the vision to help women earn income by selling their paintings on paper. In the village of Jitwarpur I was lucky to meet the famous Sita Devi, whose son Surya Dev explained to me, “During a terrible draught, artist Bhaskar Kulkarni came to the village and at first was giving Mother only a few pieces of paper, then more and more. Soon it was Mother who earned all our money. Now the demand is so high, every day Mother is making lines and I am putting in color.” By 1981, Sita Devi had won great acclaim, including one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Shri. Her example had inspired hundreds of Maithil women to continue to paint and earn income for their families.

In 1989 I returned to the villages around Janakpur with a grant and my photo documentation, always delighted when I could locate the artists whose images I’d captured more than a year earlier. In a rented space in Janakpur, the artists came together to paint Gods and auspicious animals on paper just as they had been made on village houses. We used Nepali hand-made paper, which had a texture similar to mud walls. Among these first artists was Anuragi Jha, now revered as a master artist of Janakpur. Never in a hurry, Anuragi painted with delight and intensity. I noted how her art was always puja, it was always an act of worship. When she applied color with her brush, it was as if she was applying sindhur and rice paste to an offering. In 1994, after the establishment of the Janakpur Women’s Development Center, Anuragi explained her paintings in this way: “With painting comes faith that there will be no pain. Going to the temple is the most important thing. But since I must work, why not do my worship by painting Gods at the center? The God I love the most is Hanuman. He is the strongest of the Gods. You can identify my paintings because of the Gods, but also because I fill in space completely. I have to concentrate to make sure colors alternate properly. In many paintings, I also draw parrots and elephants, because these bring happiness.”

Author Claire Burkert gathers with the staff and artists of the JWDC in the open courtyard for a family portrait

Establishing the Art Center

In 1991 the artists joined together to found a non-governmental organization, the Janakpur Women’s Development Center (JWDC), which would preserve the painting tradition and bring new opportunities to local women. In 1994, the founders bought land and built a beautiful workspace. My journal records the day in 1994 when we conducted a puja to bless the foundation. The potter leaned over a hole with a kalash painted with sindhur and filled with mango leaves. The artists and I pronounced our hopes that their daughters’ daughters’ daughters would work here one day. Manjula’s elderly father-in-law recited mantras in Sanskrit while I showered handfuls of flowers onto a banana leaf over the entombed pot. Her father-in-law ladled water onto the pot with a spoon fashioned from a leaf. With this sprinkling of holy water, the intensity of colors under the hot sky, and each of us holding a handful of flowers, we felt rich. The potter shoveled dirt over the flower-strewn pot and the laborers were fed blessed sweets and pieces of cool cucumbers. We knew a fresh chapter was beginning for us, in a space that was the artists’ own.

The new workplace, designed by the late Australian artist Robert Powell, celebrated the vernacular architectural style of traditional mud houses. The artists coated the brick buildings with mud and dung and sculpted traditional relief designs of Hanuman and Sita, along with auspicious tigers, peacocks, and elephants. In time, when scarcely any mud walls could still be found in the villages, the JWDC became a popular destination where visitors could see how buildings in the past were decorated.

The fine art and crafts of the center steadily became recognized within Nepal and then internationally. The artists and craftsmen began to innovate, taking up different themes and experimenting with various media. In 2019, their work was shown at the Welt Museum in Vienna, in conjunction with a major exhibit of contemporary art in Nepal called Nepal Art Now.

Exhibition in Vienna’s Weltmuseum in 2019

That same year, following their involvement in several education and health projects (including a comprehensive diabetes awareness program), the artists were nominated by the International Folk Art Market for a Community Impact Award. Manjula traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, to represent the artists at the awards ceremony, to sell arts and crafts in the Folk Art Market, and to demonstrate her painting skills. She recalls proudly, “Someone asked me to paint Narasimha, the avatar of Vishnu. They were awestruck and asked me how I had memorized the image. When I said I painted out of my imagination, they smiled and told me how they loved my painting of the Lion God.”

Many of the JWDC artists have recently returned to previous practices of making ritual art. Unforeseen at the time the artists first joined together was that one day there would be a new demand for art and objects used in traditional Maithil rituals. In the past, the making of paintings and objects had been undertaken by most of the women in a Maithil household, but today many women do not have the time, inclination, or knowledge to make paintings for the wedding chamber or to build clay objects such as the small elephants necessary for the bride’s worship of Goddess Gauri. The center, therefore, retains memory and skills for the future.

How It’s Done… See a Documentary, or Two

The artists paint on paper made from the daphne plant. The paper is handmade in workshops in the Kathmandu Valley and in the hills of Nepal. First, the women draw an outline, and then they fill in the color. While in the past the paints were made from natural materials, today commercial acrylic paints are commonly used. The arts and crafts produced here have become known as “Janakpur Art.” Currently the center trains and employs 40 women who work at the center to produce fine art, textile (silkscreen and embroidery), ceramics, and paper mache crafts. They have become project-oriented as well. Among their projects is one called Smoke Pollution Awareness. Many rural households in Nepal still use firewood and animal dung for cooking. These have had a detrimental health affects on the lives of children and especially women, who are in the kitchen the most. To raise awareness, JWDC engaged and paid rural women artists to make traditional-style sketches that depicted smoke’s problems and solutions. These art pieces are on prominent displays in selected communities.

The JWDC has adapted the traditional imagery from their paintings to other crafts. They make and sell painted masks, children’s books, mirror frames, trays, buckets and even watering cans. The sewing section makes embroidered toys and ornaments inspired by the Gods, auspicious animals, vegetables, and fruits. The printing section screen-prints traditional designs and patterns onto table covers, greeting cards, posters, and bags. Special orders are also possible. The adaptable artists have painted on commission myriad subjects from personal portraits to instructive infographics for NGOs and UN projects that are concerned with disaster management, health education, and meeting millennium goals.

Their wide-ranging products can be seen in the JWDC’s catalogue, available on request.

You can write to: Janakpur Women’s Development Center, Kuwa Village, Ward #12, District Dhanusha, Nepal

For information on purchasing, please reach out to: contact.jwdc@gmail.com

Satish Kumar Sah, Manager, (977) 9800803040. Website: jwdcnepal.org   Facebook: Janakpur Women’s Development Center @jwdcnepal;   Instagram: jwdcnepal

Numerous documentaries can be found on YouTube. These include:

Janakpur Art and Faith Today

I miss the villages painted as they once were. I miss the paintings for their aesthetic beauty and for the faith they represented. Painting the walls requisitioned the Gods to look after the welfare of women’s families. I have worried that as the women no longer paint on the walls, a vital connection to the Gods may have been interrupted. Indeed, much in the world has changed. Has their faith changed? Were paintings made on paper disconnected from religious belief?

One early morning when I woke in artist Manjula’s village, she and two neighbor women were gathered on the clay floor of her kitchen, rolling little pieces of clay. It was an intimate scene, this early meeting in darkness, as the women huddled and whispered prayers to Siva and sang: “Mahadev goes to Himavan’s (King of the Himalayas) palace on His bull to woo a daughter of Himavan. He marries one and then goes again on His bull to woo another daughter.”

Each little roll of clay represented Mahadev (Siva) and was joined with others to make clumps of 100, and then these were joined to make 1,000, and sometimes they would make even 11,000, 15,000, and 25,000.

When the sun rose, Manjula and the two other artists walked to the nearby Lingam bringing the clumps of clay formed by joining the little rolls to make offerings to Siva. The clumps were scattered with jasmine flowers, and they took as well the leaves of a bael tree, the sacred tree whose leaves and fruit Siva is known to be fond of. When Manjula finished her worship, Mahadev was hidden in a corner of a storage room.

An additional large wedge of clay she called “Old Mahadev.” To this wedge she added a pair of eyes. To me, these abstract objects created to represent and worship Siva required imagination as well as faith. How different they were than the paintings the artists had made of Him. Even elderly Sita Devi’s loose depiction of Siva on her kohbar wall had looked more to me like how I had imagined Siva to look than these clumps of clay.

Hand-made cell phones were used in a drama depicting changes that the artists have experienced

And so I asked Manjula about painting for income at the JWDC. Did it require faith—or was it now just a job? Was the image of a God that she painted on paper for sale at the JWDC as meaningful as a God represented in a lump of clay that she made at home in a ritual?

She answered obliquely by showing me a painting of Meera Bhagwati, surrounded by images of Krishna playing His flute to please Her. “Before making this image, I had so many troubles in my house,” Manjula explained. “The environment in my house was so bad that sometimes I did not eat in the evening. So I prayed to Goddess Meera Bhagwati and then I thought to paint her. When I was painting Her image I was not only painting but also praying to Her to solve my problems. My prayers were listened to and She brought peace into my life at home.

“It is the same when I paint God Ganesh,” Manjula continued. “I think of the well-being of my family. Ganesh has always helped me. And tales of the Ramayana are very important for me. Ram, Sita, and Lakshman faced problems in their lives just like we face in our lives. It gives me satisfaction that my problems are no different than the problems faced by Gods and Goddesses in the Ramayana. “When I paint the Gods,” Manjula added, “I know they will be happy to see their images.”

To address the issue of healthy eating in their community, the JWDC artists perform a drama using their own painted props of vegetables.

I asked other artists about their relationship to the Gods when painting at the JWDC. Sudhira is an artist of the Kayastha caste who knows well the auspicious imagery of the kohbar and can make different aripana (rice paste designs) for at least eight occasions. She likes to paint Krishna, she explains, as He brought peace to every era. “I cannot paint until I feel God,” Sudhira told me. “Painting images of God is like worshiping. I am grateful to the Gods that they gave me a chance to make Their images. I feel someday God may appear to me out of my painting. And I think it is important that I am working as per Their wish.”

Artist Amrita Dutta made a distinction between paintings made for rituals and the paintings made at the center: “We do not paint on the ground as carefully as we paint on paper. Before I paint on paper I know I must make my painting saleable, so I take extra care when painting images of Gods or rituals. And when I paint Gods, I know that they will be happy that I remember them by painting their images.”

The artists often like to turn the lens on themselves, illustrating scenes of the rituals that they perform at home or in sacred spaces. Amrita explained that when she paints rituals, she imagines enacting each step so as to accurately evoke every detail. Popular amongst the artists are paintings of Chhait puja, during which women worship the Sun God, Surya, and Chauchan, when they worship the moon. Janakpur is renowned for the worship of these two deities.

A painting of women celebrating Chhath by Suhagbati Saha

During the spectacular Chhait puja, the banks of Janakpur’s ponds are lined with baskets of colorful offerings. Wading into the pond at sunset and dawn, women hold the offerings up to the sun and pray for the well-being of their families. According to artist Madhumala Mandal, “When I make a painting about Chhait puja, I feel as if I were standing in the pond and offering fruit to the Sun God. It is important to me to paint rituals, as they are part of my life.” When the artists paint Chhait puja, they paint a square in the center, which is the pond, containing worshipers holding baskets of fruit. They are often surrounded by fish and turtles, Mithila’s symbols of fecundity. The square pond is lined with ceramic pots decorated with rice paste and red powder, as well as ceramic elephants that hold oil lights, stalks of bananas, and platters of sweets such as thekuwa, the special cookies made for this occasion using a mold the shape of a leaf.

What the artists have told me is that God is everywhere, and He is also invoked in multiple forms. In the ritual for Mahadev, He is invoked in a clump of clay. At the center, where they paint for income, He is invoked in a way that from mother to daughter they have learned to paint Him. Painting a God on paper can also be an act of worship.

Maithil women celebrate the Chhath festival, praying in a pond that is lined with offerings

Today the artists also paint scenes of the life they observe around them. For instance, they have made detailed paintings of vehicles, roadwork, and brick kilns, subjects reflecting changes in the landscape and the city. Lately, many paintings are themed around Covid-19, showing families being tested for Covid, a relief plane arriving with food during the lockdown, and masked travelers on buses. I asked the artists, where are the Gods in this tumultuous time?

Rebti answered my question with a painting of people she’s observed in her village, sitting in a rice field to worship Bhagwati with kheer and other sweets, thanking the Goddess for Her care in the time of Covid. Sudhira answered that it is Adi Shakti, with Her supreme power, who is keeping people safe from the virus. Her painting shows Janaki with protective arms spread wide.

Adi Shakti blesses a Covid-19 patient by Sudhira Karna

This Story was first Published in Hinduism Today

Arts of MithilaInternational Folk Art Market for a Community Impact AwardJanakpur Art and FaithJanakpur Women’s Development CenterJur Sital festivalJWDCMadhubaniMaithil culturemaithil womanMaithil Women Artists of NepalMithila artMithila cultureMithila paintingWelt Museum in Vienna
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Claire Burkert

Claire Burkert, the founder of the Janakpur Women’s Development Center, is an American based in Kathmandu. For over 30 years she has worked with artists in Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Tibet, Gaza and Turkey. Her articles and publications, including Himalayan Style (Roli, 2014), focus on indigenous traditions of architecture, craft and design.

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Sama Chakeva clay sculptures by Mira Devi Dutta, B Sama Chakeva clay sculptures by Mira Devi Dutta, Bijay Kumar Dutta, and Priyanka Karna at Kathmandu Triennale (photo1-4). Taragaon Museum, Hyatt, Kathmandu.

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Tharu girls of Terahaut village in Saptari immersing clay idols on the last day of the Sama Chakheva Festival. By  @sankuchy

Sama Chakeva, a revered festival deeply embedded in the folk traditions of Mithila, unfolds its enchanting rituals in Kartik (Nov/Dec) on the eve of the Chhat Festival. The festivities commence in harmony with the migratory journey of birds, descending from the Himalayas to the southern plains of Nepal. Rooted in the rich tapestry of Puranic lore, this celebration, adorned with folk theater and melodious songs, venerates the profound bond between brothers and sisters.

As the sun dips below the horizon, young, unmarried girls gather near the ghats of Chhath, bearing baskets adorned with idols of Sama and Chakeva, alongside oil lamps, kohl, and everyday clay-made essentials. In the ambient glow of the night, they immerse themselves in the timeless melodies of traditional songs, engaging in rituals that transcend generations. 

On this sacred occasion, the river becomes a sanctifying space as young girls take a symbolic dip, purifying their spirits. The idols of Sama and Chakeva, witnesses to the festival's entirety, are tenderly immersed in the flowing waters, marking the conclusion of this deeply cherished celebration.
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Sikhs of Nepalgunj take on streets performing vari Sikhs of Nepalgunj take on streets performing various dances and activities, an expression of their cultural heritage on the occasion of the Guru Nanak Jayanti. Nepalgunj

Photos by RGB NIHAL RGB Camerography 

In addition to the dance, other cultural activities such as kirtan (devotional singing), recitation of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy scripture of Sikhism), and langar (community meal) are also integral parts of the Guru Nanak Jayanti celebration in Nepalgunj. These activities not only strengthen the bonds within the Sikh community but also promote unity and understanding among people of different faiths in the region.

The celebration of Guru Nanak Jayanti in Nepalgunj is a testament to the diversity and richness of Sikh culture, and the dance performances play a vital role in preserving and showcasing this cultural heritage. Through these vibrant and expressive dances, the Sikhs in Nepalgunj convey not only their devotion to Guru Nanak Dev Ji but also their commitment to fostering a sense of community, joy, and cultural pride.

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Sikhs of Nepalgunj dressed in vibrant and traditio Sikhs of Nepalgunj dressed in vibrant and traditional attire, come together to perform dances as a form of devotion and expression of their cultural heritage on the occasion of the Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Photos by RGB NIHAL RGB Camerography 

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The protestants mobilized by Durga Prasai and Mahe The protestants mobilized by Durga Prasai and Mahesh Basnet parade to participate in the massive demonstration scheduled today 7 Mangshir 2080 (November 23 2023)

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The Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), also known as The Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), also known as the dhole or Indian wild dog are pursuit pack hunters that run down their prey, including domestic livestock, over long distances. 
Photo by Siddarth Machado via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

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#askmeaboutnepal #dhole #asiaticwilddogs #indianwilddog #predator #wildanimallife #wildlifeofnepal #doglife #wilddogwednesday #picoftheday #photofotheday #tbt #asianphotography #nepalnow
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah: Sorah Hattey Ganesh, Lor Om Gam Ganapataye Namah:

Sorah Hattey Ganesh, Lord Ganesh with sixteen hands is housed in a one-storey Gambuj (dome-style) temple at Bhotahity, the main market area in the heart of ​​Kathmandu. This elephant-headed god’s temple was established by the Malla king Pratap Malla, carved as one of it’s finest during his regime. After the King built Bishnu Tirtha, which is now called Rani Pokhari (The Queen’s Pond), he divined the Bishnu Tirtha by Tantric powers to install four deities on the four corners of the pond. The western corner is Ganesh Pond.

This idol of Ganesh with sixteen hands is rare in Nepal depicts him in a Tantric form. He is seen with his wife Riddhi on his left hence he is also called Riddhi Ganesh. According to some religious text, Ganesh is Bhramachari or unmarried and according to others He is married to Riddhi (Prosperity) and Siddi (Spiritual Power), His two powers.

They are alternatively also known as Karnakeshari and Suvarna Keshari, and have been worshiped separately by Newars, Kathamandu natives. These names are almost lost from the vernacular, but still used in Harisiddhi dance, the first mask dance of the country to venerate the Goddess Durga. She is Tri-Shakti, the embodiment of the feminine force, the divine mother, the energy that gives us all life.  It is said that Pratap Malla lost his life while witnessing the Harisiddhi dance in 1731 B.S.
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#askmeaboutnepal #ganesh #ganapatayenamah #ganeshji  #ganeshutsav  #reportagephotography #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnoninstagram #learnaboutnepal #hinduismfacts #hinduismforlife
"Wasya Dya", The God of Tooth Pain at Bangemuda, K "Wasya Dya", The God of Tooth Pain at Bangemuda, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Photo1 by Gerd Eichmann

In Bangemuda, Kathmandu stands an unusual wooden deity known as the "Teeth God". It is a local belief that affixing a coin to this divine idol can bring relief from toothaches. This practice has given the area its name, Kilagal. Over time, the wooden idol has become obscured by a substantial layer of coins, making it challenging to discern its original surface. 

Despite the pervasive influence of technology in our lives today, the age-old tradition of nailing coins to seek solace from toothaches persists, drawing hundreds of devotees who ardently worship the Teeth God as a testament to the rich amalgamation of Nepali art and culture.
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#askmeaboutnepal #kilagal #toothache #dental #learnaboutnepal #reportagephotography #photostory #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnoninstagram  #AsianPhotographyMagazine #AsianPhotography #photoscapeofthemonth #lightroom #canon90d #canonphotography #thingstoseeinnepal #cultureshock
"Chhat Puja" is a significant Hindu festival that "Chhat Puja" is a significant Hindu festival that used to be celebrated in Southern Nepal but now almost all over the country except the high Himalayas.

Chhath Puja is dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and Chhati Mai. The festival usually falls six days after Tihar, during the month of Kartika (Oct/Nov), but this year in Mangshir (Nov/Dec), and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion.

During Chhath Puja, devotees, especially women, observe a rigorous fast and perform various rituals near a water body, such as a river or a pond. The rituals include taking a holy dip, offering prayers to the rising and setting sun, and preparing special offerings like Thekua and Rasiao (a type of sweet). 

Photos from Social Media.

Read more at https://askmeaboutnepal.com/chhath/
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#askmeaboutnepal #chhatparba #chatparba #chattimai #chhatimaiya #mithila #terai #festivalofterai #chhat #southernnepal #festivalofnepal #traditionofnepal #sungod #universe #sun
The Last Natural Haven: Taudaha hosts diverse lotu The Last Natural Haven: Taudaha hosts diverse lotus flowers and water chestnut varieties, nurturing a complex ecosystem teeming with amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fish.

Taudaha, once an emerald oasis nestled amid lush fields in the southwest corner of the Kathmandu Valley, holds immense religious, cultural, and ecological importance. Spanning 463 hectares, it was the largest pond in the Bagmati watershed, home to diverse lotus flowers, water chestnuts, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fish, including migratory species.

Over the years (examining data from 2014-2020), Taudaha has welcomed an average of 307 to 423 migratory birds annually. While the overall number has remained relatively stable, a worrying trend has emerged in the decreasing variety of species. Species like the Common Teal, the Great Cormorant, and the Mallard have seen a decline in their numbers over time.
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#savethewetlands #anyhowindrabachau 
#askmeaboutnepal #Taudaha #winterbird #studybirds #bridsstudy #cormorant #migratorybirds #reportagephotography #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnoninstagram #learnaboutnepal  #AsianPhotographyMagazine #AsianPhotography #photoscapeofthemonth #lightroom #canon90d #canonphotography #thingstoseeinnepal
White Water Rafting in Bhote Koshi River. Known a White Water Rafting in Bhote Koshi River.

Known as one of the best white-water rafting destinations in the world, the Bhote Koshi River originates from the Tibetan plateau, cascading down through narrow gorges and rocky terrains, providing an ideal playground for rafting enthusiasts.

Rafting in the Bhote Koshi River offers an exhilarating and adrenaline-pumping adventure amidst the stunning landscapes of Nepal and is not for the faint-hearted. The river offers challenging rapids ranging from Grade III to V, making it a thrilling experience for both beginners and seasoned rafters taking you through powerful waves, steep drops, and intense rapids, offering an adrenaline rush at every turn. The river's fast-paced flow demands teamwork, precise paddling, and quick decision-making, creating an unforgettable and exciting rafting experience. 

There are numerous rafting operators in the region that offer guided trips along the Bhote Koshi River, ensuring safety measures and expert guidance for an enjoyable experience. 
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#askmeaboutnepal #rafting #whitewaterrafting #raftinginnepal #bhotekoshi #reportagephotography #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnoninstagram #learnaboutnepal  #AsianPhotographyMagazine #AsianPhotography #photoscapeofthemonth #lightroom #canon90d #canonphotography #thingstoseeinnepal
Every 🐕 its day and today is definitely that d Every 🐕  its day and today is definitely that day for all canines of Nepal. #kukurtihar

#askmeaboutnepal #tihar #tiharspecial❤️
देश परदेश मा बस्नुहुने शम्पुर्ण जनमा तिहारकाे पावन अवसरमा मङ्गलमय शुभकामना !! जय नेपाल 🇳🇵
Two sisters selling Amriso Brooms, a must-have ite Two sisters selling Amriso Brooms, a must-have item at any Nepali house. Khandbari Haatbazaar, Sankhuwasabha

In addition to jewelry and utensils, people also purchase brooms on Dhanteras, a day believed to bring luck. Dhanteras falls on the first day of Tihar, the festival of lights that occurs within a fortnight of Dashain, however it falls one day prior to it this year.

Acquiring a broom is thought to retain Goddess Lakshmi (the main goddess of Tihar)  in one's home, ensuring prosperity and happiness while eliminating debts. Brooms are essential for maintaining cleanliness in households, and their use is believed to attract the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. Thus, buying brooms on Dhanteras is considered auspicious, enhancing the significance of this important Hindu festival that marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations.
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#askmeaboutnepal #Dhanteras #tihar #deepawali #diwali #FestivalOfLights #reportagephotography #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnonfacebook #learnaboutnepal
A Pair of Griffins Guard the two of the four Templ A Pair of Griffins Guard the two of the four Temple doors of Changu Narayan, Bhaktapur

The first two photos have Griffins, (legendary creature) with the body of Garuda, a mythical bird that is a stride of Lord Vishnu, and the last two with the body of a lion and the head of wings of an eagle.

Changu Narayan Temple is a pagoda-style Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu in his incarnation as Narayan. It was originally built around the 4C, but the present temple was rebuilt in 1702 after it was destroyed by fire. It is situated on a ridge at 1541m overlooking the Kathmandu Valley, about 22 km to the east of Kathmandu and 6 km north of Bhaktapur. Though the temple is quite beautiful, especially the doors and front facade, Changu Narayan is not known for its temple but for the stone statues, bas-relief carvings, and inscriptions that are scattered around the temple courtyard, created between the 5th and 13th centuries.
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#askmeaboutnepal #Changunarayan #stoneinscription #stonewriting #stoneage #lichhavi #hindudeity #stoneart #stonearchitecture #stoneartlover #sculpture #historyofnepal #reportagephotography #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnoninstagram #learnaboutnepal #photoscapeofthemonth #nikon #nikonphotography
Paani Ghatta, the only water mill in Gati Village Paani Ghatta, the only water mill in Gati Village nestles inside this bamboo hut with a tin-sheet roof. It is run by a father-son duo belonging to the Newar community. Sindhupalchok.

In Gati like many other villages of Nepal, the Paani Ghatta serves as a vital water mill particularly to grind corn. This ingenious mechanism operates by channeling water from a river nearby through a robust pipe, which in turn impels the blades of a rotating wheel (turbine). Positioned directly above the turbine is a grinding stone that crushes the corn kernels steadily funneled from a sizable drum suspended from the ceiling of a windmill hut.

A wooden bird, affixed to the lower opening of the drum, tactfully guides the grains into the grinder, ensuring a steady and efficient milling process. This age-old technology attests to the village's resourcefulness and uses traditional methods to harness the power of water to meet the essential needs of the community, especially during the monsoon harvest.
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#askmeaboutnepal #corn #cornfield #newar #watermill #panighatta #paanighatta #villagelife #agriculturelife #ilovevillage #scienceisfun #reportagephotography #photooftheday #picoftheday #naturallynepal #visitnepal #reportagespotlight #worldphotopress #learnoninstagram #learnaboutnepal #AsianPhotographyMagazine #AsianPhotography #photoscapeofthemonth #lightroom #canon90d #canonphotography #thingstoseeinnepal
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