The International Calendar Determination Committee of Nepal has announced the auspicious time for receiving ‘tika’ and blessings during the upcoming Bada Dashain festival. This year, the committee has published the timings for 32 countries, including Nepal, in response to the interest shown by the Nepali diaspora worldwide.

Member-secretary of the committee Laxman Panthi informed RSS that the timings for Bijaya Dashami 2081 BS have been made public due to increasing inquiries from Hindus living abroad about the most favorable time for receiving Dashain tika, a mixture of red vermilion powder, yogurt, and rice grains that is applied to the forehead as a blessing during Hindu festivals like Dashain.

According to the committee's recommendations, the most auspicious time for Kathmandu, Nepal, is 11:36 am on October 12. For India, the best time is 11:42 am; for New York, USA, it is 10:01 am; for Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA, 10:39 am; for Texas and Washington DC, USA, 10:05 am; and for California, USA, 09:55 am.

In Canada, the best time is 10:15 am for Toronto and 10:27 am for Vancouver, according to member-secretary Panthi.

For Japan, the auspicious time is 11:35 am (October 13); for Sydney, Australia, 11:21 am (October 13); for Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia, 11:27 am; for Canberra, Australia, 11:29 am; and for Wellington, New Zealand, 11:15 am, shared committee chairperson Dr. Madhab Bhattarai.

Other recommended times include 10:24 am (October 12) for Lisbon, Portugal; 10:21 am for London, UK; 10:23 am for Paris, France; 10:19 am for Oslo, Norway; 11:21 am (October 12) for Bangkok, Thailand; 11:57 am for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 11:45 am for Abu Dhabi, UAE; 12:00 pm for Doha, Qatar; and 09:16 am (October 12) for Tel Aviv, Israel.

The best time for Hong Kong is 9:15 am (October 13), while for Seoul, South Korea, it is 11:43 am (October 13).

Committee President Bhattarai stated that the most auspicious time for Singapore is 11:45 am (October 12); for Saudi Arabia, 11:23 am (October 12); for Yangon, Myanmar, 11:21 am (October 12); for Geneva, Switzerland, 11:55 am (October 12); and for Malta, 10:45 am (October 12).

He added that the decision was made in response to global requests from Vedic Sanatan Hindu devotees for the determination of auspicious Dashain tika timings. -- RSS