KATHMANDU, Aug 23: Hindu women are celebrating Rishi Panchami across the country on Sunday.
This day is observed as the concluding day of the Teej festival on the fifth day of the bright half moon of the month of Bhadra according to the lunar calendar.
PHOTOS: Basant Panchami observed at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu
Hindu women reaching their menstruation period observe this festival by fasting and paying homage to the Saptarishis (seven powerful saints as per the Hindu mythology) with a belief that they will be blessed and forgiven for all sins they believed to have committed during the menstrual cycle.
Women visit nearby rivers, ponds and lakes early in the morning and take baths. They clean their body with 365 stems of Apamarga, a medicinal plant; take baths with cow dung and soil collected from sacred places and ash.
Here are some pictures taken by Republica Photojournalist Monika Malla at Shali River bank, Sankhu this morning:
