Nov 8, Kathmandu: According to Hinduism, it is not uncommon to go to a temple and ask for a ‘bridegroom’ from the heart, but in the Satyavati Lake and Maiko temples here, it is customary to ask for a bridegroom by shouting so that everyone can hear.

It is an old custom to walk around Satyawati Lake in Tinau Gaonpalika-4 of the district three times and shout in public and ask for a bridegroom with ‘Satyavati Bajjai’.It is said that Satyavati Bajai had to shout for boon as she was deaf. The three-day religious fair for asking for bridegroom starts on November 6.

In the Satyawati Lake area, the religious fair of shouting for the bride with deaf ears is starting on Sunday like every year. Although there is a temple of both Bajebajai in the Satyavati Lake area, there is a religious belief that it can be fulfilled especially by shouting and asking for a bridegroom.

Satyawati Lake

There is a belief that Satyavati’s grandmother does not listen. That is why people have been shouting and asking for blessings for generations. Those who go to ask for a bridegroom and visit Satyawati Lake Mai take bamboo and leaf lingo with them. Chairman of the Satyavati Lake Development Committee Til Bahadur Gaha said that it is customary to bury the same lingo near the lake.

Chairman Gaha said that the demand for Satyawati Lake will be met after the demand is met. According to Chairman Gaha, there is a claim to worship this time. It is said that Balachaturdashi falls in the month of Kartik. ‘In the past, it was customary to worship at night. Last year, for the convenience of the devotees, worship started even during the day, ‘said Chairman Gaha.

Om Bahadur Gharti, chairman of the village municipality, believes that around three lakh tourists from home and abroad will come on the occasion of the three-day religious fair organized by the Satyawati Lake Temple Development Committee.Devotees will come from Gulmi, Rupandehi, Syangja, Kapilvastu, Nawalparasi, Chitwan, Kathmandu, Dang, Pokhara, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Lucknow, and Nautanhawa of India to attend the fair.

Devotees from far and wide come to the temple saying that the boon that they have prayed to Satyavati Bajai will be fulfilled. The tradition of asking Satyavati Bajai for boon only at night has been changed to ask for boon tomorrow afternoon as well.

Chandrakant Khanal and Keshav Khatri, who reached the temple for darshan and asking for a bridegroom, shouted that the bridegroom will be fulfilled and some of the bridegrooms are coming. They said that due to their religious beliefs, they have been following the traditions since ancient times and their wishes have been fulfilled since childhood.

Based on the popular belief that Satyavati will fulfill the requests of the devotees, there is a tradition of sacrificing snakes, chickens, ducks, goats or leaving them in the forest.

There is a crowd of devotees from Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Kapilvastu, Nawalparasi, Kaski, Chitwan, Dang, Parbat Baglung, Myagdi as well as Gorakhpur, Lucknow and other areas of India to shout blessings at Satyavati temple. Prem Shrestha, president of Tinau Rural Municipality, says that they are preparing to work by making a master plan to attract religious tourists who come only once a year.

He said that if they can bring tourists for 12 months, it will not take time to develop the area. He said that now the rural municipality has allocated a budget for the management of the temple and will take special initiatives for its protection in the future.

Satyavati temple can be reached after an uphill walk of about 1 hour from Jhumsa water mill on Siddhartha highway Tansen-Butwal road section. During the traditional period, the practice of darshan only at night has been modified and now the practice of worshiping and asking for boon has started both during the day and at night.