Preparations Underway for Nepal's Historic Chaitra Dashain Fair at Kalika Temple

Baglung. Preparations have begun for Chaitra Dashain, one of Nepal's oldest fairs. The Baglung Kalika Temple Management Committee is gearing up for the Chaitra Dashain fair, which is historically linked to the Kalika Temple.

A large fair has traditionally been held on the premises of the Kalika Temple every year on the occasion of Chaitra Dashain. Bhupendra Khadka, Chairman of the Baglung Kalika Bhagwati Trust Management Committee, informed that the Chaitra Ashtami fair, one of Nepal's most significant fairs, will be organized this year from Chaitra 10 to 14.

The fair has been held on the premises of the Baglung Kalika Bhagwati Temple, known as a religious and tourist destination, since the establishment of the Kalika Temple. The fair has been organized about one hundred fifty to two hundred years after the establishment of the Kalika Temple. Chairman Khadka stated that the fair, which is over three hundred years old in Baglung, is being held to continue the tradition.

Thousands of devotees throng the Kalika Temple premises during the Chaitra Dashain fair. Stalls for the purchase and sale of local and imported goods will be set up on the temple grounds, and various cultural tableaux, including folk duet songs and volleyball, will also be presented.

“In BS 1591, King Pratap Narayan Singh Malla of Parbat married the daughter of King Manimukunda Sen of Palpa, and the idol of the goddess Majh, which the princess brought with her as dowry, was enshrined at the present site of the Kalika Temple,” said Chairman Khadka. “When they tried to move the palanquin with the idol the next day, it wouldn't budge, so the temple was established at that spot. The tradition of devotees coming to the temple during Chaitra Dashain buying and selling local products grew, and it continues to this day as the Chaitra Dashain fair.”

There is a popular belief that wishes are fulfilled by worshipping at the Baglung Kalika Bhagwati Temple. Based on this belief, thousands of goats, buffaloes, and ducks/chickens are sacrificed here. Transactions worth millions of rupees take place at the fair. In the past, people used to save money throughout the year to purchase household items during Chaitra Dashain. In earlier times, the purchase of baskets, winnowing trays, earthen pots, and bamboo/cane items used to happen during Chaitra Dashain.

The Chaitra Dashain fair will feature programs such as the Kalika Cup Open Men's Volleyball Tournament with a prize money of NPR 300,000, the Open Women's Volleyball Tournament with a prize money of NPR 100,000, the National Folk Duet Song Competition with a prize money of NPR 200,000, a stone-throwing competition, a chariot procession, and a fun fair.

The objective is to promote the Kalika Bhagwati Temple and the traditional Chaitra Ashtami Fair to the national and international arena, and to conserve and promote the historical religious, cultural, and natural heritage and local products of Baglung district.