Nepali devotees take holy bathe on Chaitra Shukla Purnima

Kathmandu [Nepal], April 6 : Standing in line for hours waiting for their turn to take bathe in the 22 stone spouts, Nepali Hindu devotees on Thursday attended the Bais Dhara Mela in Kathmandu.

Regarded as one of the recreation centres outside the ring road of the capital city Kathmandu, the Balaju Park which hosts the 22 water spouts were thronged by thousands of devotees waiting for their turn to bathe.

An annual fair is orgsed on Chaitra Shukla Purnima, the final full moon for the year as per the Nepali calendar. Devotees throng the premises of Balaju Park and take bathe which is believed to cure skin related as well as other diseases.

A devotee who came to the water sprout on Thursday told that this is the tradition that has been continued for ages.

She added, "Also, the aboriginals of Kathmandu who don't celebrate the Chaite Dashain regard this full moon auspicious and it is believed that it would cure the diseases as well."

This festival is regarded as auspicious by both the Hindu and Buddhist devotees. According to folklore, taking a bathe in these taps on the full moon day is equivalent to taking dips at Muktinath and Gosainkunda Lakes.

"The 22 Dhara (Balaju park) not only is a park, but it is also one of the pilgrim sites. The water that spouts here is believed to have been brought up to here from Gosainkunda by the Tantriks. The Jal Bhairab Thaan (Temple) is located on the upper side of the taps and is later released. It is believed that the water that comes out from here has the capability to cure various diseases," Krishna Lal Maharjan, a resident of Kathmandu told .

As per the historians, King Jaya Prakash Malla in 1746 AD constructed 21 stone spouts here and 22nd was added by Shah King Rana Bahadur Shah.

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