'Mahakumbh Mela' to be held at Banarasi dham in Baitadi after 144 years

Dhangadhi: The Mahakumbh Mela is set to be held at Banarasi Dham, the Bishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple located in Ward No. 3 of Patan Municipality, Baitadi. This year marks the first time in 144 years that the Mahakumbh Mela will be organized at the site, according to Acharya Ganesh Prasad Pant, the Pithadhishwar of the temple.

Pant said that Kumbh Mela is traditionally held at Banarasi Dham every 12 years, and on the occasion of the 144th year, a month-long Mas Parayan Mela will be organized. The Mahakumbh Mela will begin on Magh 1, coinciding with the Makar Snan.

He further informed that, as in previous years, Navratri will commence from Shukla Pratipada on Magh 5, and the fair will be held on Magh 14. Every year, Banarasi Dham hosts a fair from Shukla Pratipada to Dashami during the month of Magh. According to Pant, devotees from Baitadi as well as from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in India attend the fair.

Banarasi Dham has remained free from caste-based untouchability for the past 421 years. Pant said that no form of caste discrimination is practiced at the site. He explained that since the era of the then Maharaja Manuk Chand of Mainawatikot in Patan-3, Baitadi, and through the initiatives of royal leaders including Birbhadra, Vasi Pant and Gopeshwor Pant, the tradition of inclusiveness and the abolition of untouchability have been upheld at Banarasi Dham.

There is a longstanding tradition that the chief priest of Banarasi Dham belongs to the Bayani Luhar clan. At present, six members of the Dalit community serve as chief priests at the temple. They include Dhire Luhar of Kunika, Padme Luhar of Basti, Gaure Luhar of Bohari, Naribhan Luhar of Nangani Bata, Jhule Luhar of Khipali and Janak Luhar of Gokuleshwar. According to tradition, the order of performing puja begins with the priest from Kuni and concludes with the priest from Gokuleshwar.

It is also customary at Banarasi Dham for the priests themselves to travel from Patan-3 Gujar to bring the necessary materials for worship. Likewise, individuals selected from the descendants of the then ruler Manuk Chand from Bagadi of the Chand clan sit on the throne along with the Dhami of Sahastralinga, assisting in the puja and providing instructions.

Similarly, the head of the Bhatta family from Sukabaina in Gujar also arrives to perform puja at the temple.