Mithila Panchang 2010-11

Mundan Din:

November 2010 - 24, 26

December 2010 - 10, 17

February 2011 - 4, 16, 21

March 2011 - 7, 9

April 2011 - 22

May 2011 - 6, 9, 19

June 2011 - 3, 6, 10, 20

Upanayana Days:

February 2011 - 8

March 2011 - 7

May 2011 - 12, 13

June 2011 - 6, 12

Marriage Days:

Nov.2010-19

Dec.2010-3,8

January 2011 - 17, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 31

Feb.2011-3, 4, 7, 9, 18, 20, 24, 25, 27, 28

March 2011 - 2, 7

May 2011 - 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 29, 30

June 2011 - 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 29

Dviragaman Din:

November 2010 - 19, 22, 25, 26

December 2010 - 6, 8, 9, 10, 12

February 2011 - 20, 21

March 2011 - 6, 7, 9, 13

April 2011 - 17, 18, 22

May 2011 - 5, 6, 8, 13

जनवरी सन् 2009

जनवरी सन् 2009

जनवरी में शुभ मुहू‌र्त्त नहीं हैं

माह के पूर्वा‌र्द्ध में धनु (खर) मास होने तथा उत्तरा‌र्द्ध में गुरु के अस्त (तारा डूबा) होने के कारण शुभ मुहू‌र्त्त उपलब्ध नहीं हैं।

सन् 2009 में बिहार-झारखण्ड-मिथिलांचल में विभिन्न शुभ मुहू‌र्त्त

विवाह फरवरी- 26, 27 मार्च- 4, 9, 11, 12 अप्रैल- 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 29 मई- 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25, 31 जून- 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 21, 26, 28, 29 जुलाई- 1, 2 नवम्बर- 22, 26, 27 दिसम्बर- 1, 2, 8, 9, 10

सौराठ सभा 24 जून से 2 जुलाई 2009

उपनयन फरवरी- 27 मार्च- 1, 6, 31 अप्रैल- 5, 29 मई- 4, 5, 28 जून- 2, 3 

मुण्डन जनवरी- 28, 29 फरवरी- 2, 5 मार्च- 6, 12 अप्रैल- 29 मई- 1, 6, 7, 11, 28, 29 जून- 3, 5, 12, 24, 25 जुलाई- 1, 2 

द्विरागमन फरवरी- 26, 27 मार्च- 1, 6, 8, 11, 12 अप्रैल- 27, 29, 30 मई- 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 नवम्बर- 23, 25, 26, 27 दिसम्बर- 2, 3, 9, 10, 11

Mithila Past, Present and Future

The 5000 years old Indian culture has given successive generations a wonderful mindset tuned in amalgamation of tradition and modernity, and value system, which has been retained with excellent continuity despite the passage of time, repeated foreign invasions, and the enormous growth in population. It gives them a unique personality today, as it has done in the past. In fact, these constitute enduring imprints on Indian consciousness. The 20^th century is significant in many fields and art of course is an area to be mentioned. As culture has a curious way of belonging to its times, and yet of being removed from it. Culture has its own agenda and has habitually risen above the conditions prevailing on the ground in every period of human history. “The songs, dance-forms, literary activities and works of art produced in the 20^th century have found new expressions and have gone to prove that this century has not only been the greatest in human history but has also been a period of new discoveries and radical renewals. While all the art forms have exhibited significant achievements, several entirely new ones have been invented and popularised such as cinema, pop music, and television documentary (Singh B. P. 2003:35).” Mithila painting, also known as Madhubani painting, is in its originality an art form practiced by the women of all castes and communities of the region. The women of this country from time immemorial have been involving themselves in the various forms of creativity. The best one can find in their creativity is the relationship between nature, culture and human psyche. Also they use only those raw materials, which are available easily in abundance in the locality they are surrounded with. Through folk paintings and other forms of art they express their desire, dream, expectation and amuse themselves. It is a parallel literacy by which they communicate their aesthetic expression. Their art of creativity itself can be treated as a style of writing by which their emotions, expectations, freedom of thoughts, in the maryada, etc. Their background, gender, aspirations, hope, aesthetic sensibility, cultural knowledge, etc., find expression in all possible forms of their art. What one needs is to know the level of their enculturation and mode of learning before talking or writing about their art. Putting women in the center, this article is written on the Mithila painting, folk creators and the state of painting, in the same spirit.

No region of this great country is untouched with the creativity of the women. We see the example of phulkari in Punjab, warli in Gujarat, chikan embroidery in Lucknow, weaving in the North-east, kantha in Bengal, miniature paintings in the state of Rajasthan, kethari, sujani and of course mithila paintings in the Mithila region of Bihar.

The Mithila painting is one of the living creative activities of the women of this region. It is a famous folk painting on paper, cloth, readymade garments, movable objects etc., mainly by the village women of Mithila. Originally it is a folk art, practiced by the women of all castes and communities, including the Muslims, on walls and floors using the natural and vegetable colours. Later some people took interest in it and motivated the women to translate their art from walls and floors to the canvas and now the new form has given this a very distinct identity in the art world as well as in the market. This folk art has a history, a cultural background, women’s monopoly and distinct regional identification. Where is Mithila? What is the cultural and historical significance of this land? Why is it that this art is that special in Mithila? These are the few questions that deserve an answer before anything can be written about this art form.

 Far away from Indian big cities and the modern world lies a beautiful region once known as Mithila. It was one of the first kingdoms to be established in eastern India. The region is a vast plain stretching north towards Nepal, south towards the Ganges and west towards Bengal. The present districts of Champaran, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Supaul, Samastipur etc., and parts of Munger, Begusarai, Bhagalpur and Purnea of Bihar cover Mithila.  It is completely flat and free from rock or stone. Its soil is the alluvial slit deposited by the river Ganges, a rich, smooth clay dotted with thousands of pools replenished by the monsoon, the only reservoirs until the next monsoon. If the monsoon is late or scanty, the harvest is in jeopardy. But if the rain god is kind, the whole plain bursts into green from October to February, dotted with man-made ponds where beasts and peasants bath beneath ancient vatvrikshas. Madhubani is the heartland where the paintings are more profuse than elsewhere. “The region’s rich vegetation so impressed ancient visitors that they called it Madhubani, ‘Forest of Honey’ (Vequaud, Yves 1977:9)”, the name of the most acknowledged district for this painting. In this mythical region, Rama, the handsome prince of Ayodhya and incarnation of the Vishnu, married princess Sita, born of a furrow her father King Janaka had tilled. Mithila is that sacred land where the founders of Buddhism and Jainism; the scholars of all six orthodox branches of Sanskrit learning such as Yajnavalkya, Bridha Vachaspati, Ayachi Mishra, Shankar Mishra, Gautam, Kapil, Sachal Mishra, Kumaril Bhatt and Mandan Mishra were born. Vidyapati, a Vaisnav poet of 14^th century was born in Mithila who immortalized a new form of love songs explaining the relationship between Radha and Krishna in the region through his padavalis and therefore the people rightly remember him as the reincarnation of Jaideva (abhinavajaideva). Karnpure, a classical Sanskrit poet of Bengal, in his famous devotional epic, the Parijataharanamahakavya gives an interesting account confirming the scholarship of the people of Mithila. Krishna tells his beloved Satyabhama, while flying over this land on way to Dwarka from Amravati, “O lotus-eyed one behold! Yonder this is Mithila, the birthplace of Sita. Here in every house Saraswati dances with pride on the tip of the tongue of the learned (Mishra, Kailash Kumar 2000)” Mithila is a wonderful land where art and scholarship, laukika and Vedic traditions flourished together in complete harmony between the two. There was no binary opposition.

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विदेह Janakpur City

About Janakpur City

Janakpur city is the birth place of Goddess Sita, and is the home of the unique Mithila culture in Nepal

Janakpur city, the Headquarter of Dhanusha district of Nepal, is about 84 miles (135 km) from Kathmandu. This is a popular city in the terai region. (Terai = lower part of Nepal having Flat-Land). Janakpur is also known as Janakpurdham (Dham in Nepali means a scared region) It has a temple named Janaki, which is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Sita. This region also offers an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn about Mithila culture, and people from in and around this peaceful region of Nepal. Hindu pilgrims from India and Nepal visit this region to pay their respect to the Goddess, while many foreigners make a side-trip to the region to learn about the unique Janakpur-life!

Places to visit in Janakpur

Janaki Temple

Janakpur has the Janaki Temple (Mandir in Nepali) which is dedicated to Goddess Sita, and also has a Ram and Sita Marriage Mandhir (or also known as Ram and Sita Bibaha Mandhir in Nepali) which is said to have been built in the spot where they got married. Marriage anniversary of Ram and Sita is observed every year here through a festival which is also observed throughout Nepal.

In the Janakpur region, one of such festival is the enactment of the wedding ceremony, decorating temples and monuments, burning of oil-lamps surrounding the temple and other historical sites in the region. Throughout the festival there are dramas in theaters and in open streets re-making the marriage ceremony of Ram and Sita. According to Hindu, Ram and Sita took birth to free the earth from the cruelty and sins of the demon King Ravana (Ravan). To learn more about the Hindu Goddess, see web link at the end of this page.

Rama Mandir

Visit the Rama Mandhir, a pagoda-style temple built in 1882, which is located south-east of the Janaki Mandhir. On the Rama Nawami or also written as Ram Navami festival (the celebration of Lord Ram's Birthday), this temple gets thousands of visitors. Ram Nawami is also called as Chaitay Dashain, and it falls on Chaitra 13 2063 (Nepali Calendar) or April 27 2007 (English Calendar)

Mithila Culture of Janakpur

Mithila culture is found in the Terai region of Nepal such as the Janakpur region and also found all the way upto the Northern Bihar state of India. Legend has it that Janakpur was the capital of Mithila, and the palace of King Janak, Goddess Sita's father. Often Sita is known by many names such as Janaki or Mythili. Mithila culture is rich with its own language known as Maithili, and with its own traditions, customs, arts and music. Many Mithila arts and paintings have historical and religious meanings, such arts are produced by many villagers specifically women's draw paintings having colorful and thought provoking objects such as animals, Gods and Goddess which are painted on the walls of homes using simple colors such as clays and mud

About Ramayan

One of the greatest epics of all time is Ramayan, which is a Hindu story of God Ram and his wife Goddess Sita, their marriage, their struggle, sacrifice, and many facets of life. Ram marries Sita, then has to live for years in isolation from her before returning back to his royal palace. Sita is captured by Demon named Rawan. In the end, Sita disappears under the ground, and she is regarded as the Goddess of the Earth. Sita, the incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, is regarded as the perfect daughter, wife, and mother, and the most beloved diety in Hindu countries like Nepal and India.

Festivals in Janakpur

Jhula and Bol Bum are two important festivals which are celebrated with great pride and enjoyment along with other Nepali festivals such as Dashain and Tihar. During Jhula and Bol Dum, the Janaki temple is packed with people. One other important festival is Chhath celebrated by Maithalis in Janakpur. It is a four days festival. A group of men and women dip in Ganga Sagar, a popular lake in the area, then worship the rising and setting of the sun for four days to receive blessings for peace and prosperity.

Vibhaha Panchami, which falls between November to December, is a popular festival of Janakpur. The occasion commemorates the marriage of Sita to Ram, one of the most celebrated Hindu divinities. Janaki temple is the center of the attraction to commemorate this day and to celebrate the marriage anniversary of Ram and Sita. Thousands of pilgrims from India, Nepal and India pour into the region during this festival season.

Ram Nawami, the celebration of Ram's birthday attracts visitors to the Ram Mandhir and many Hindu pilgrims visit this temple on that day. This Year, Ram Nawami is on April 27 2007

Hotels in Janakpur

We are working on to provide you with this information. For now please try www.hotelassociation.org.np

How to get to Janakpur?

Janakpur is about ten hours by bus from Kathmandu for around $5, about 30 minutes by plane for around $80. You can also reach Janakpur from other cities like Birgunj and Biratnagar.

Mithila Travel Information

In his Ramayan, Tulsidas gives an elaborate description of how the entire Mithila region of Bihar was decorated for the marriage of Sita with Ram. These decorations consisted chiefly of vivid murals depicting mythological personages, deities of the Hindu pantheon and the flora and fauna of the region. This art of painting, an established tradition even then, has survived to this day, passed down for centuries from every Maithili (resident of Mithila] mother to her daughter.

Today, these ceremonial decorations - popularly identified as Madhubani paintings, after the town which is a major centre of their export - can be seen on house walls in the districts of Champaran, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Madhubani (more profusely here than elsewhere), Samastipur, parts of the districts of Monghyr, Begusarai, Bhagalpur and Purnea, which together form the region of Mithila.

The Forest of Honey

Well marked naturally by the foothills of the Himalaya in the north, the river Ganga in the south and by the rivers Mahananda and Gandaki in the east and west respectively, Mithila spreads over 25,000 sq miles of rock-free alluvial plains. It is dotted over by thousands of pools, and crops of cotton, indigo, sugarcane, wheat, rice, lentils, maize and all the vegetables of a temperate clime are grown here. It is this fertility which inspired people to name it Madhubani, the Forest of Honey. Today, Madhubani is one of Mithila's two chief towns (the other is Darbhanga).

The Domain of Women

The folk paintings of Mithila are-the exclusive monopoly to women artists. This is a communal activity and one in whirl young girls are allowed to assist. This enables them to learn early to draw and paint - skills which are put to the test when, as grown-up women, they are expected to present the kohbar- a picture used as a marriage proposal, to a man or their choice. Heavily charged with tantric symbolism in its basic design and composition, a kohbar depicts a pictorial intercourse using the lingam (phallus) and yoni (vulva) symbols. Not only can this fresco be seen on every bedroom wall in Mithila but the first kohbars in a courtship are used to wrap various gifts.

The Divine Tapestry

Another central figure of Maithili paintings is Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu and one of the most popular gods in India. The ecstatic circle in which he leads the gopis or his cowherd-lovers is interpreted as the wheel of life, of appearances revolving eternally. If the Shiva lingam represents mystic ecstasy, and Krishna the passionate repetition of the act of love, Rama - the seventh avatar of Vishnu - is archetypal together with his wife Sita (an incarnation of Vishnu's wife, goddess Lakshmi), of marital devotion.

Other avatars of Vishnu; female deities like Kali, Durga, Parvati - different aspects of the same power; Lakshmi and Saraswati are all honoured at appropriate times. These divine beings are positioned centrally or lineally in the framework. In the dense background are depicted their consorts, their respective mounts, fruit bearing trees, clumps of bamboo, floral motifs and numerous other symbols to which the viewer can relate without mental strain.

Reflecting Nature's Fecundity

A scale is established to convey vastness by juxtaposing figures of human beings, animals and birds - with towering forms. The smallest of gaps is then filled with birds, leaves, flowers or ceremonial objects to show the fecundity of nature. Viewed as a whole, the harmony reflected in the utilization of space and in the picturisation, conveys the artist's understanding of peaceful co-existence of man and bird and beast.

Living in Harmony

This understanding of the importance of living in harmony was, in the past, extended even to the practice of preparing colours from plant extract. Three cardinal rules governed this: no one was to destroy another's garden, no money was to be spent on the collection of materials, and no colours were to be made out of edible plants. The artists used the juice of locally available creepers and flowers: henna leaves, the palash flower, bougainvillaea and the sap of the neem
tree, to obtain a range of colors. For black, they ingeniously removed the soot collected on the underside of their earthen cooking vessels and fixed it by using the viscous substance surrounding the seed of the be I fruit.

The Artist's Tools

Nowadays, paints are generally bought in the bazaars rather than prepared indigenously. Colors are available in powdered form, which are then mixed with goat's milk. For black, the women rely on burnt straw and for white, on powdered rice diluted with water. The colors are usually deep red, green, blue, black, light yellow, pink, and lemon. Two kinds of locally made brushes are used once the paints -e ready. A small bamboo-twig with a slightly frayed end is sed for outlines and tiny details. The filling in of space is .one with the aid of a pihua, made from tying a small piece of cloth to a twig. The outline is drawn in a single flow of the brush without preliminary sketching.

Humble Canvases

Although to the outside world Maithili paintings are available on paper, the usual base on which the women paint are the mud-walls of their dwellings. However, the use of paper (as gift wrapping) as a canvas was known long before these paintings acquired saleability. It is also used to preserve the more elaborate or less frequently drawn pictures on a smaller-scale, which then serve aide-memoires.

Tradition and The Individual

I- the Mithila murals convey a sense of timelessness, it is t'.ue to the lack of significant variation in style from p^neration to generation. Though new schools are born with e ich generation, the similarities in the use of colour, form aid iconography appear like strong currents of inherited knowledge. Many Maithili women have received recognition fur being mistresses of their art and yet it is not a unique n dividual sensibility that speaks through their artistic creations. Visible in their offerings is an anonymous creative mind with millennia of traditional knowledge.

Mithilanchal Today

Darbhanga district is one of the thirty-seven दिस्त्रिक्ट्स of Bihar state , India , and Darbhanga town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Darbhanga district is a part of Darbhanga Division . The district is bounded on the north by Madhubani district , on the south by Samastipur district , on the east by Saharsa district and on the west by Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts.The area of the district is 2,279 km 2 .

Geography

The district has a vast alluvial plain devoid of any hills. There is a gentle slope from north to south with a depression on the centre. The District can be divided into four natural divisions. The eastern part consists of Ghanshyampur, Biraul and Kusheshwarsthan blocks. This part contains fresh silt deposited by the Kosi River. This region was under the influence of Kosi floods till the construction of Kosi embankment during the Second Five Year Plan. It contains large tracts of sandy land covered with wild marshes. The second part comprises the regions lying south of the Burhi Gandak River and is the most fertile area in the district. It is at a higher level than the other parts of the district and contains very few marshlands. This part is well suited to the rabi crops. The third natural region is the doab between the rivers, Burhi Gandak and Baghmati and consists of low-lying areas dotted over by marshes. This region gets flooded almost every year. The fourth division consists the Sadar sub-division of the district. This region is watered by numerous streams and contains some uplands.

Rivers

Though numerous rivers originating in the Himalayas water this district, it has four major river systems, the Baghmati, the little Baghmati, the Kamla and the Tiljuga. The Bagmati, enters this district from Muzaffarpur district, forms a natural boundary between the district and Samastipur district and pursues a southeasterly course till it joins the Burhi Gandak River near Rosera. The little Bagmati enters the district from Madhubani district near Pali and turns past Darbhanga town down to Hayaghat, where it joins the Baghmati proper. The Kamla River enters the district at Singar Pandaul, and flowing east of Darbhanga town, joins the Tiljuga at the southeastern corner of Rosera block. The Tiljuga skirts the eastern boundary of the district.

Climate

The climate of this district is dry. There are three well-marked seasons in this district, the winter, the summer & the rainy season. The winter season starts in November and continues till February, though March is also pleasant. Westerly winds begin to blow in the second half of March and temperature rises considerably. May is the hottest month when the temperature goes up to 42ºC. Rain sets in towards the middle of June. With the advent of the rainy season, temperature drops but humidity rises. The moist heat of the rainy season is very oppressive till August. The rain continues till the middle of October. Average annual rainfall of this district is 1142.3 mm. Around 92% of the total rainfall is received during monsoon months.

Economy

Agriculture is the primary occupation of the majority of the population of this district. There are a huge amount of educated people in darbhanga. The occupation is mainly doctor and engg.

Agriculture

The major crop of this district is rice. Other crops produced in this district are wheat, maize, pulses, oil seeds and sugarcane. The district also has many mango orchards.

Industry

The main industries of this district are Paper Mills, Sugar Mills and Handloom.

Demography

Population of this district as per 2001 census is 32,85,493 of which rural population is 30,18,639 and urban population is 2,66,834. According to the Census of India 2001 [1] , literacy rate of the distyrict is 44.32% (male 57.18%, female 30.35%). As per 1991 census, the district has 19,55,068 Hindus, 5,55,429 Muslim, 141 Christians, 198 Sikhs, 26 Buddhists and 27 Jains.

The main languages spoken in this district are Hindi , Maithili and Urdu .

Divisions

The district comprises three sub-divisions which is further divided into 18 blocks. The sub-divisions are Darbhanga Sadar, Benipur and Biraul. The blocks are Darbhanga, Jale, Singhwara, Keoti, Manigachhi, Tardih, Alinagar, Benipur, Bahadurpur, Hanuman Nagar, Hayaghat, Baheri, Biraul, Ghanshyampur, Kiratpur, Gaura Bauram, Kusheswarasthan,and Kusheswarasthan East. This district has 329 Panchayats, 1269 villages & 23 Police Stations. Some of the villages are Baqui pur,Maheshpatti, Kaligaon, Kansi, Pandaol, Panchov,Rajarouly-Rampur rouly, Balbhadrapur, Gobindpur, Dharar, Koilakh, Karaj, Nehra, Sahora, Kabilpur, Bahadurpur, Anandpur, Deokuli, Rambhadrapur, Ughara, Patore, Ghanshyampur, Mohanpur, kamtol,Kothram,Dodhiya,Balha, Dheruk, Mahinam, pahadi, Antaur and "Muraitha"

There are one Lok Sabha and 10 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. Manigachhi, Bahera, Darbhanga Rural (SC), Darbhanga, Keoti and Hayaghat Vidhan Sabha constituencies are part of the lone Lok Sabha constituency of this district, Darbhanga. Jale Vidhan Sabha constituency is part of Madhubani Lok Sabha constituency while Ghanshyampur, Baheri and Singhia Vidhan Sabha constituencies are part of Rosera Lok Sabha constituency (only a part of Singhia Vidhan Sabha constituency is within this district).

Culture

This district is known for its rich tradition of folk art form, Mithila Painting. Treditional folk drama styles of Mithila region are also very popular in this district. Most prominent among them are Nautanki, Natua Nach and Sama Chakeva.

A number of fairs and melas are organised in various parts of the district. The Kartik Purnima mela, Dussehra mela, Janmashtami mela and Divali mela are most popular among them.

Two of the prominent and popular Artistic groups of this district are Mithila Chetna Parishad & Adarsh Kala Manch. Mithila Chetna Parishad is a professionally managed conglomarate of artistic activities of Mithila region. They also conduct stage shows all over India and abroad to spread the ethos of Maithili art and culture. Adarsh Kala Manch, Madanpur (in Bahadurpur Block)is run by a group of amateur artists and activists of the villages in this region. This group is immensely popular due to the depth and style of presentation of local Maithili Natak ( based on religious and social themes). However off late, the scarcity of funds has forced this club to reduce its activities and limit it within the village during Festivals like Chhat & Chitragupt Puja.

Universities

The Lalit Narayan Mithila University in Darbhanga was established on 7 August, 1972 by dividing the Bihar University(now Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar University), Muzaffarpur. It was shifted in the building of Darbhanga Raj in 1975. The Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University was established in 1961.A great learned Mahamhopadhyay Dr.Umesh Misra was the first Vice Chancellor of this University. Nearly 5500 rare manuscripts on Epic,Philosophy,Vyakaran, Dharmashastra and a few manuscripts of Vidyapati, Mahesh Thakur in their own handwriting are preserved in the University.The post Graduate Department is corporated with the Veda, the Vyakarna, the Dharma Shastra, the Darshana, the Jyotish & the Sahitya are functioning. Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University is tha largest university in the world on the basis of intake(approx. 500000 students) in different streams.

High schools

The eminent High schools of this district are Keoti-Ranway High School in Keoti, Mithila High School in Makhnahi, Pindaruch Highs School, Safi Muslim High school in Laheriasarai, M L Academy, Zila School, LR Girls High School, L. M. High School Anandpur,Onkar High school Supaul Bazar Biroul and Jayanand Senior Secondary School in Bahera.

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Festivals in Mithilanchal

India has had a tradition of festivals from time immemorial. From national festivals to social ones, people come closer, enjoy and forget their differences. Festivals always break the monotony of day-to-day life and inspire us to promote love and brotherhood and to work for the upliftment of the society. Bihar as a part of this ancient land is no exception and has a long list of celebrations.

Chatth Puja

Almost all civilizations have worshipped the ‘sun god’, but it has a unique form in Bihar. Chatth Puja is the only occasion where the setting sun is worshipped.

The people of Bihar have immense faith in this festival. It is celebrated twice a year. Once in Chaitra (according to the Hindu calendar) which falls in March and in Kartik which falls in November. For this 4-day festival, people maintain sanctity and purity from even a month ahead. People celebrate this festival with immense faith the folk songs sung in the honour of ‘Surya Dev’ and ‘Chatti Maiyya’ can be heard at every nook and corner the sweetness of the songs lets you feel the holiness of the festival.

Women fast for the good of their family and the society. Regardless of the social status, to celebrate this festival only the faith counts. Though it is a festival of the Hindus, some of the Muslims also participate actively in the puja.

Sama-Chakeva

It is during the winter season that the birds from the Himalayas migrate towards the plains. With the advent of these colorful birds, celebration of sama–chakeva is done. This is a festival especially celebrated in mithila. mithilanchal dedicates this festival to the celebration of the brother sister relationship. It represents the tradition of this land as well as the art of making idols. This festival starts with the welcoming of the pair of birds sama-chakeva. Girls make clay idols of various birds and decorate them in their own traditional ways. Various rituals are performed and the festival joyfully ended with the ‘vidai’ of sama and with a wish that these birds return to this land the next year.

Ramnavami

A Hindu festival celebrated in all parts of the country. This is the auspicious day when lord RAMA was born. People celebrate it observing fasts and offering prayers in his honour.

Makar-Sankranti

Also known as Tila Sankranti, the festival marks the beginning of the summer season. People believe that from this day on, the days become longer and the heat of the sun also increases. Every year it is observed on the 14th of January. People celebrate it by giving offerings to the poor.

Bihula

Bihula is a prominent festival of eastern Bihar especially famous in Bhagalpur district. There are many myths related to this festival. People pray to goddess Mansa for the welfare of their family.

Madhushravani

This festival is celebrated all over mithilanchal with much enthusiasm. It is celebrated in the month of Sawan (Hindu calendar), which falls around August. This festival carries a message with itself. It teaches how to weave together religion and tradition in day-to-day life.

Basant Panchami, Shivratri, Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Durga Puja, Deepawali, Id, Bakrid, Christmas and many more festivals however big or small are celebrated with enthusiasm all over this landmass.