Gadhimai Festival and Gadhimai Mela, Bara-Nepal, killing of animals

GADHIMAI FESTIVAL and MELA

INTRODUCTION

Gadhimai festival which is also called Gadhimai Mela in Nepal is one of the most renowned festival or fair of Nepal. This festival is celebrated at Gadhimai temple which is located at southern part of Nepal in Bara district. The fair or festival is comes or celebrated in every five years and Last time it was celebrated in 2015 A.D and next is going to hold in 2019 A.D. Gadhimai festival or Mela is celebrated around 10 km from the center of the temple. Al people located in that area engaged in that fair during the fest. The fair is about enjoyment and sacrifice of animals and birds by killing them around temple. Near about one million of animals are killed there for making the goddess Gadhimai happy. The festival is also called festival of BALIDAAN which means killing of animals. During the festival, peoples from every home located in that area offer animals like buffalos, goats, cock, duck etc by killing them near the temple. They used to do so, for the happiness of their family and fulfillment of their own desire.

PRIEST IN FRONT OF GADHIMAI TEMPLE

DETAIL INFORMATION ABOUT GADHIMAI FESTIVAL and MELA

The festival is also called Gadhimai fair or Gadhimai Mela in Nepal. This festival or fair is famous all over the Asia known for festival of sacrifice because large number of animals and birds were killed there as a gift for making the goddess Gadhimai happy. The festival or fair is also called festival of sacrifice or Balidaan. Here Balidaan means offering of different animals and birds to goddess Gadhimai by killing them or leaving them. In Nepal killing of animals and birds for any goddess or god is known as “Balidaan”. The animals which are killed or offered to goddess are he buffalo, he goat, hen, duck, pigeon, rat, rabbit etc. Places for killing different animals are different. All the buffalos are killed at a compound located at East of the temple and the he goats, cock and duck are killed around the temple anywhere. Mainly the pigeon are not killed they are left over the temple or around the temple of gadhimai. During the mela or festival we can see that the temple is fully covered by the pigeon sitting over there. The animals are killed by chanting the words “JAY GADHIMAI”. This means, praising of goddess Gadhimai.

PLACE WHERE BUFFALOS ARE KILLED

People also offer goddess gadhimai different flowers, sweets and coconuts in the temple. People used to broke coconut near the leg of the Gadhimai in the temple by saying “JAY GADHIMAI”. It is belief that all the problems in people’s life lost when they offer coconuts and sweets to her. Goddess Gadhimai see all people life and their problems and also solve them. Due to her kindness to people, all people become happy and offer her sweets and coconuts as a PRASAD. Prasad means offering of any kind of edible things like sweets or fruits to the goddess or god in Nepal. People also offer the blood of animals as a Prasad to gadhimai by killing them but that offering of animals and birds are done in every five year only. And the offering of different sweets, fruits, flowers, coconuts are done every day in the temple.

Actually the date of festival or mela is for ten days but it last near about 45 days because huge number of people arrived there by taking their shops and enjoyment group like circus, music program, magical program etc. for business. Huge number of people from many country arrived there to attend that mela for enjoyment and worshiping the goddess Gadhimai. Mainly people from all over the Nepal and India arrived there. It is also famous for the tourist spot. In that mela there is so much crowd that we even don’t get place to walk properly.

Many people also get lost in that fair due to the heavy crowd. Mainly the children and old man lost in that fair. All the fair or Mela programs are handled by the GADHIMAI ORGANIZATION. Different facilities for tourist and other local people are also provided by then. Different rescue team are made to help the people. Different medical facilities are also provided by the. The security of the festival or mela is given to the Nepal Ploice, Nepal Army and Sasastra Police force.