KATHMANDU, Oct 26: Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti (Calendar Determination Committee) has said that 10:19AM is the most auspicious time for receiving and offering Bada Dashain tika on Monday.
According to Dr Madhav Bhattarai, 10:19AM is the most auspicious time for receiving and offering Bada Dashain tika today.
However, since Bijaya Dashami, or the tenth day of the Bada Dashain festival is itself auspicious, tika can be received and put at any time in the day, the committee said. Likewise, the auspicious hour for Devi Bisarjan is 10:11 am.
11:02AM most auspicious time for Dashain tika
Nepali Hindus home and abroad are preparing for the Dashain tika ritual along with family reunion.
Tika is the mixture of rice grains, curd and red vermilion powder formed into a paste and put on the forehead as a blessing of the goddess Durga on the 10th day of the Dashain festival.
Similarly, jamara are either the newly-germinated barley or maize shoots that are worn behind the ears as auspicious item during Dashain.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has urged the general public to stay where they are and celebrate the Dashain and Tihar festivals owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The transmission of COVID-19 on a larger scale is feared as the festive season in Nepal has just started. Nepalis travel from one place to another, mostly with their families, during this period.