Bathing ghats are being cleaned and arrangements are being made for temporary accommodation and parking for devotees.
What you should know
Preparations for a special Makar Sankranti fair on Magh 1 have been completed at the holy Parshuram Dham located on the banks of the Mahakali River in Parshuram Municipality-5, Dadeldhura.
Devotees from different parts of the Far West come here to bathe and worship. In addition, devotees from Uttarakhand, India, and other parts of the country also come to Parshuram Dham.
The management and preparations are being done in a grand manner at the fair site, Parshuram Dham. Bathing ghats are being prepared and arrangements are being made for temporary accommodation and parking for devotees.
Kailash Kumar Pandey, a cultural expert and former chairman of the Parshuram Kshetra Vikas Samiti, said that the month of Magh is recognized as a holy month in Hinduism and it is believed that bathing during this time will bring special merit.
He said that it is a religious belief that bathing at the Parshuram pilgrimage site will bring 10 times more merit than bathing in the Ganges. Due to this religious belief and easy access to transportation, devotees from Kathmandu, Biratnagar, and Janakpur areas also come here.
In the fair, which is attended by devotees from various districts of the Far West, in the past, devas from 16 different Shiva temples were brought to the fair site, but recently, pilgrims have been bringing paraphernalia from those places. Pandey said that if devas can be brought from far away places like Malikarjun in Darchula and Baidyanathdham in Achham, the religious glory of the fair could be further enhanced.
The fair has also had a significant impact on the trade in the area. Hundreds of stalls will be set up at the fair and the main selling point of the two-day trade is sesame sweets (Tilsikri Mithai). Most of the traders come from India.
To reach the fair site, the route from Budar in Doti to Jogbudha via Parashuram Dham is easy.
