Basanta Panchami Celebrated with Worship of Goddess Saraswati Across Nepal

February 3, 2025
Basanta Panchami Celebrated with Worship of Goddess Saraswati Across Nepal

The Basanta Panchami festival, celebrated every year on Magh Shukla Panchami, is being observed with the worship of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, along with the ritual of Basanta Shravan.

Vice President Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Deputy Prime Ministers Prakash Man Singh and Bishnu Prasad Paudel, ministers, members of parliament, heads and members of constitutional bodies, and provincial assembly members will also be present at the event, according to officials. The office has confirmed that all preparations for the Basanta Shravan ceremony have been completed.

Worship of Goddess Saraswati across the country

Similarly, ‘Shree Panchami’ festival, observed every year on Magh Shukla Panchami, is being celebrated today with devotion through the worship of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. Devotees refer to Goddess Saraswati, who has a fair complexion like the moon and holds a veena and a book in her hands, by various names such as Bharati, Sharada, Hansvahini, Jaganmata, Vagishwari, Kaumari, Varadayini, Buddhidatri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, and Bhuvaneshwari.

As the goddess of knowledge and creativity, Saraswati is particularly revered by writers, artists, journalists, teachers, and students, who worship their tools of art and learning, such as pens, notebooks, brushes, and musical instruments, as symbols of the goddess. Tantric practitioners also worship Saraswati as Goddess Tara for the attainment of tantric knowledge.

The festival is also called ‘Basanta Panchami’ as it marks the transition of the sun towards the northern hemisphere, lengthening the days and signaling the beginning of the spring season. According to the Rigveda, Brahmayani, the consort of Brahma and renowned as Vagdevi, grants all kinds of knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment to devotees through her worship. This is why Saraswati Puja holds great significance, and it is believed that beginning education on this day ensures success in learning.

There is a belief that for events such as weddings, sacred thread ceremonies (Bratabandha), traditional rites of passage (Gufa), and the Bel Marriage (Ihi) ritual, one does not need to consult an auspicious time on this day. Initiating children’s education and performing ear and nose piercing ceremonies are also considered auspicious today.

Early in the morning, devotees, especially students, flock to Saraswati temples such as Nilsaraswati at Dillibazar, Swayambhu, Maitidevi, and Gairidhara in Kathmandu, as well as Saraswati temples in Lele, Lalitpur, and other districts, to perform prayers and rituals. It is believed that swallowing seven grains of rice offered to Saraswati grants wisdom and enlightenment from the goddess.

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