Mahottari — The Jitiya festival has begun in the ancient Mithila region, including Mahottari in Madhes. Ahead of the day-long fast to be observed on Sunday, married women of Mithila, known as Mithilani, are preparing today for “Oghatan,” the traditional pre-fast feast. The festival is a significant Hindu Maithil tradition.
Celebrated on the Ashtami tithi of the Krishna Paksha during Pitri Paksha, the festival is observed for the welfare and longevity of children. On the eve of the fast, women eat Oghatan, which includes curd, flattened rice, and other simple, wholesome dishes.
Women wear clean new clothes for the occasion and remain busy gathering ingredients for the ritual feast. The Jitiya fast lasts for a full day and is concluded the next day on the Navami tithi, usually after sunrise. According to Shobha Kant Jha, a priest and teacher at Rajkiya Sanskrit Secondary School, Matihani, this year’s Jitiya will end on Monday morning at 7:00 AM, as determined by the Vidyapati Panchang and Mithila Panchang.
Observed by mothers across Mithila irrespective of caste, the festival holds special significance for the Tharu community. On the morning of Saptami, women take a holy dip in ponds or rivers, offer mustard oil and pina (a traditional offering) to the Sun God, and pledge to undertake the fast.
As part of the ritual, women also offer tarpan (tributes) to departed female relatives within three generations — mothers-in-law, co-sisters, grandmothers, aunts, and maternal ancestors — praying for the well-being of their descendants.
A central element of the festival is the recitation of the tale of King Jimutavahana, revered for his sacrifice and compassion. According to mythology, during the Dwapar Yuga, Jimutavahana (an incarnation of divinity) used his spiritual power to restore the lives of five sons of a widowed Brahmin woman. Since then, mothers observe this rigorous fast praying that their sons embody similar virtues of bravery and generosity.
Scholars note that references to Jitiya can be found in the Bhavishya Purana. “Numerous legends are associated with King Jimutavahana, making Jitiya a deeply symbolic festival of maternal devotion and sacrifice,” said Manoj Jha Mukti, Associate Professor of Maithili Literature at Yajnavalkya Lakshmi Narayan Vidyapeeth, Matihani.
To mark the occasion, the Madhes provincial government continues its tradition of granting a public holiday for women observing the Jitiya fast.
About the Author
