KATHMANDU, Sept 1: Two days after celebrating Teej, the Nepali women again thronged the nearby water sources and Shiva temples on Thursday to observe Rishi Panchami on Panchang Tithi of Shukla Paksha in Bhadra according to the Hindu calendar. 

Rishi Panchami falls on the fifth day of Shukla Pakshya in the Nepali month of Bhadra. It is a traditional festival to worship the Sapta Rishi or the seven sages. Kashyapa, Atri, Bharadwaja, Vishvamitra, Gautama Maharishi, Jamadagni and Vashishtha – were created by Lord Brahma, who is also known as ‘the creator of the universe’ in Hinduism, to help mankind and provide them education.

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 bodies 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 Prasan Gurung on Thursday:

 

 
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