Fulpati, Seventh Day of Bada Dashain, Being Observed Today

The Fulpati ritual, marking the seventh day of the Bada Dashain festival, is being observed across the country today with fanfare and traditional ceremony.

Fulpati—an assortment of flowers, leaves, and fruits considered auspicious—is ceremonially anointed at the Dashain Ghar on this day. As per Vedic rites, the sacred offering is brought to Kathmandu and placed at the Dashain Ghar inside Hanuman Dhoka Durbar.

A grand procession featuring the Gurujyu Platoon of the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, civil service officials, the Asha Gurja team, traditional panchebaja musicians, band performances, among others carries the Fulpati from Hanuman Dhoka to Jamal.

During the monarchy, the king used to attend the ritual as Head of State. Since the establishment of the republic, the Minister for Culture has represented the government at the ceremony, according to the Durbar Museum Development Committee.

This year’s auspicious hour to bring the Fulpati has been set at 4:30 p.m.

Although Dashain begins with Ghatasthapana on the first day of the bright half of the lunar calendar in the month of Asoj (mid-September to mid-October), celebrations gain special fervor on Fulpati. From this day, government and private offices close, allowing people to travel to their ancestral homes to receive blessings from Goddess Durga and their elders. -- RSS