Balachaturdashi is also one of the pious festivals of the Hindus. It falls in the dark fortnight of Marga (DEC.). The special importance of this festival is to offer obeisance in the commemoration of our deceased ancestors (antecedents). Antecedents are believed to be equal as the god in the Hindu mythology. Mythology explains that; though the God wishes to present us some thing; Devotees lighting lamps in the name of their deceased antecedents on Balachaturdasi at Pashupatinath

the antecedents can stop us from obtaining the things. So without appeasing to the antecedents we can’t get any fruitful awards so that, this is the day of the Balachaturdashi to respect our antecedents. It’s believed if we scatter the sadbij on this day in the name of our ancestors their soul will rest nicely in eternal peace in the heaven; then we will be blessed a lot from them to get the happy life. Also it’s believed that if we scatter the sadbij particles on this day; we will get the virtue of donating as equal to the donation of that much gold particles.

Thousands of Devtees throng at pashupati on this day and take a holy dip in the Bagmati River; then scatter the Sadbij; and only eat after completion the puja. The Sadbij is the miscellaneous item of different varities of cereals and  edibles seeds Viz. corn, paddy, barley, rice, vegetables, fruits and wit some money coins. The devotees scatter these items in the name of thei deceased ancestors for their salvation around the pashupatinath periphery. A big spectacular fair takes place there on this day. The devotees visit there a night before the fair and light oil fed lamps; perform special puja in the name of their antecedents; keeping awake through out the night there. In the next day they enjoy a lot singing and dancing after the completion of the sadbij scatter. The pious places kailash, suryaghat, Guheshowari, Pashupatinath, Mrigasthali, Bishowrup, Kirateshower, 108linga temple and etc are the main places to scatter the sadbij. Similarly this kind of fair takes place in most of the renowned pilgrimages sites of Nepal.

A long time back there was a Ghost named Balasur in the Pashupatinath graveyard. He started to eat the dead body’s (corpse’s) flesh that was taken to cremate there in the crematorium. Finally people became very much afraid to take the corpses in the crematorium. Finally for the fear of their life. Because they thought of to be killed themselves by the Balasur demon. People were very much worried and frightened with this demon; but no one had gut to do anything him there since he was very terrible Ghost. One day his own blood brother named Brikha sing planed him to trap and kill; and he fed a lot of wine with a lot of meat  and beaten rice; finally he got boozed and laid down senselessly; then all the people killed him throwing in to a well. The people were relieved from Balasur Ghost’s terror but Mr. Brikha sings his blood brother became very much worried on repenting the killing of his blood brother Balasur. He thought of killing the blood brother is a kind of great sin. So he couldn’t sleep well to the rest of his life.

One-day lord pashupatinath appeared surprisingly in his dream and suggested him to scatter sadbij in his blood brother Balasur’s name for his sin’s salvation. So Brikha sing immediately started to do this religious rite as per the lord’s suggestion; and he was relieved from his vice; then he was salvaged. So the legend says; since then the other people also started to practice this salvation in the name of their deceased ancestors and to relieve from their vices; then slowly it was changed as a great pious religious festival.

Another fascinating legend goes under like this:

Once when lord shiva left his adobe kailash by cheating his beloved consort parabti and started to live lonely at Mrigasthali impersonating as a buck’s guise; then mother parvati his consort became very much worried for not seeing him last many days. Mrigasthali is the place where a lot of bucks used to live there in the Golden age. She then went in search of her husband Lord Mahadev but she could find nowhere. She only noticed that Lord Shiva is in the guise of the buck there. Because of being a huge herd it became very difficult to recognize her husband; so she thought of sowing some miscellaneous cereal items as aforesaid called the sadbij to attract the bucks. After some days when the sadbijs grew up all the bucks arrived to graze there. Finally she became able to find out her husband lord shiva. So the legend believes that since that time this religious fair came there in to practice. But the gist is that, this celebration is observed in the high respect of the deceased antecedents and lord shiva to get the good blessing from them.

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