Sudurpaschim Province is celebrating the main day of the Gaura Festival today with the observance of Durvashtami, also known as Athawali. On Saturday evening, Goddess Gaura was brought into the Gauraghar (Gaura house), and today, women observing the fast carried her to the temple courtyard (Gaurakhala) for special worship.
Throughout the day, women devotees sing traditional faag songs and worship Goddess Gaura using biruda (a mixture of five types of grains). The sacred thread (dubdhago), offered to the goddess on Saturday, is also worn today by women, similar to how men wear the sacred janai.
The idol of Gaura is beautifully decorated and carried to the courtyard, where groups of women collectively perform the Athawali rituals with devotional songs. Through faag, they narrate the origins of Goddess Gaura and her marriage to Lord Maheshwar. After the worship, women offer biruda, considered the main prasad, to their husbands, children, and relatives, blessing them with long life and prosperity.
Meanwhile, men participate in traditional games such as Thadokhel and Dhusko Dhamari, which are rooted in local history and culture.
According to cultural expert Acharya Bishnudatt Bhatt, women observe this fast and ritual for unwavering marital bliss, family prosperity, children’s well-being, and household harmony. People of Sudurpaschim celebrate Gaura with even greater importance than Dashain. Many migrants return home for the occasion, and married daughters also visit their maternal homes to participate.
On this occasion, both the federal and provincial governments have announced public holidays in Sudurpaschim Province. The federal government declared Sunday (Bhadra 15) as a holiday, while the provincial government announced Monday (Bhadra 16) as a holiday, giving the province two consecutive days off.
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