Shree Panchami: Harbinger of Spring

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Shree Panchami is the day of triple religious importance. Nepalis celebrate Shree Panchami on the fifth day of the bright fortnight in the month called Magha (Jan-Feb.) in the Vikram calendar. On this day, Hindus perform worship to the Goddess of Learning called Saraswoti; Buddhists make offerings to Lord Manju Shree the God of Knowledge and Craftsmanship; Nepalese priests perform special rites to welcome the spring season, and announce the commencement of spring at Nashalchowk, Kathmandu.

Shree Panchami or Manju Panchami and Basanta Panchami are the two or three names for one occasion on one day. Shree Panchami means the day of Goddess of Learning called Saraswoti for Hindus and the day of God of knowledge and Craftsmanship called Lord Manju Shree for all Nepalis. Basanta Panchami means the beginning of spring. So, Shree Panchami is the day of triple religious importance. Shree means the Goddess of Learning, Panchami means the fifth day; so, Shree Panchami means the fifth day of the Goddess of Learning. This year the day falls on February 11.

Hindus celebrate Shree Panchami welcoming the Goddess Saraswoti. Nepalis believe that Goddess Saraswoti comes to Nepal from Tibet on the eve of the Shree Panchami. So, men women, and children visit different shrines to Saraswoti on that night; they give her a relaxing massage with mustard-seed oil. The next day, Nepalis visit Saraswoti shrines at various places in the Kathmandu Valley to worship her and receive blessing from her.

Goddess Saraswoti is a four-armed female deity riding on a white swan. Her first right hand and the first left hand hold a musical instrument called vina, the second right hand holds a book, and the second left hand holds a chain of prayer beads. She is the supreme authority of art, music, and literacy. She also is one of the female forms of the preserver of the Hindu world. She is called Goddess Mahalaxmi the combined form of the Goddess of Wealth called Laxmi and the Goddess of Learning called Saraswoti. According to the Hindu mythology, Goddess Laxmi and Goddess Saraswoti are the two spouses of Lord Vishnu, who together with Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma is called the Hindu trinity.

Nepalis believe that every year Goddess Saraswoti comes to Nepal from Lhasa on the eve of Shree Panchami. There is a shrine to Goddess Saraswoti in the northeastern part of Bhaktapur about 15 km to the east of Kathmandu, where Goddess Saraswoti is supposed to be residing over there before coming to Kathmandu. So, devotees visit that shrine in the Magha (Jan-Feb.) month until the day she travels to Nepal. On the night she reaches Nepal, men, women, and children devotees visit Saraswoti shrine to give her a relaxing massage with mustard oil. Next day, they visit her to make offerings and receive blessings from her.

Hindus celebrate Shree Panchami to welcome the Goddess of Learning. A religious fair is held at all Saraswoti shrines but a great fair is held at three main shrines in the Kathmandu Valley. They are: Swoyambhu Saraswoti/Manju Shree, Lele Saraswoti in Lalitpur, and Nil Saraswoti at Lazimpat, Kathmandu.

Students, teachers, artists, craftsmen and professionals bring products of their work to offer the goddess, and to receive blessing from her to be more skillful in their jobs. They believe that the goddess makes them more skilful in their work. Some students offer seven hand-peeled unbroken rice grains to the idol of Goddess Saraswoti and then they take the rice grains from her as the blessing from her, and swallow them without touching them to the teeth. Popular belief is that this strengthens their memory. Neo-literate children beginning their first lessons write something in her praises on the walls of the Saraswoti shrine with a piece of chalk or talc believing this inspires them to learn.

Nepalese Buddhists celebrate Shree Panchami calling it Manju Panchami and giving worship to Lord Manju Shree believing that he drained the water from the lake to make the Kathmandu Valley livable place for humans. According to the Vajrayan mythology, Lord Manju Shree came from Lhasa to pay homage to Lord Swoyambhu: self-appearing Buddha when the Kathmandu Valley was still a lake.

When Lord Manju Shree reached the top of the Maha-mandap-giri, current-day Nagarkot, he saw the beautiful landscape of the Kathmandu Valley. Lord Manju Shree, fascinated by the beauty of the valley thought that, if the water could be released from the lake, the valley would be a beautiful place to live in. Lord Manju Shree went to the current-day area called Chovar and with the divine power he possessed, made an opening with his sword through Chovar thereby releasing water from the lake.

At that time, the Kathmandu Valley Lake was a domain of serpent gods called Nagas. Serpent King called Karkot Naga ruled over it. The Naga king finding no safe haven for him and for his subjects after the water flowed out of the lake pleaded with Lord Manju Shree for the return of the lake. Lord Manju Shree being compassionate to Nagas, preserved a small lake called Tau-da-ha to the south of Kathmandu as a residence for the Nagas, where even today the Naga king dwells with his subjects.

After draining the water, Lord Manju Shree built a city-state called Manjupatan. He crowned his pupil called Dharmakar, the ruler of the Manjupatan. Thereafter, he taught the people different crafts, arts, music and dances to make Manjupatan a prosperous city-state. Thus, the original dwellers of Kathmandu Valley were the students of Lord Manju Shree. Therefore, Nepalese people believe that the valley has inherited so much of different culture.

Manjupatan is widely described in the ancient chronicles. Some people believe that the current-day Majipat was Manjupatan. There is a shrine to Lord Manju Shree at Majipat. Others believe that the current-day Deupatan was Manjupatan, and Lord Bageswore is the Lord Manju Shree.

Lord Manju Shree and Goddess Saraswoti is the one and the same deity but called by different names by Buddhists and Hindus. Thus, this deity symbolizes the coexistence of Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal. For Nepalese Buddhists, Goddess Saraswoti is Lord Manju Shree. This belief is substantiated by the idol of Goddess Saraswoti near the Buddhist shrine at Chabahil, Kathmandu. In this idol, one of her hands holds ‘Khadaga’ a symbol of power by which Lord Manju Shree made an opening at Chovar to release the waters from the Kathmandu Valley Lake. There are a few Saraswoti idols, which hold a sword in one of the four hands representing Lord Manju Shree. Both Hindus and Buddhists visit the same shrine behind the Swoyambu where Buddhists worship the God as Lord Manju Shree, Hindus as Goddess Saraswoti.

Nepalis celebrate Basanta Panchami to welcome the advent of spring. On this day, in the morning, the head of state, prime minister, ministers and other high-ranking government officials participate in the celebration of ‘Basanta srawon’ literally meaning listening to the announcement of the advent of the spring season in the courtyard called Nashalchowk at the ancient palace complex in Kathmandu. That is why Shree Panchami is also known as ‘Basanta Panchami’. On this occasion, priests perform worship to the Goddess of Learning, and to the spring season. A musical band plays an auspicious tune in praise of the season. After the rituals, priests announce the commencement of the spring season. Thereafter, they offer the season’s blessing to the head of state, prime minister, ministers and other participants. The day is a national holiday.

Basanta Panchami or Shree Panchami is the most auspicious day for businessmen, craftsmen and artisans. They wait for this day to begin a new start-up business believing the day ensures them a success. Traditionally, parents teach the first alphabet to their children on this day. This is the most auspicious day of the year; so, Nepalis perform such auspicious ceremonies as wedding, adulthood ceremony to their sons, and mock marriage to their daughters.

Nepalese life is colorful because of the Hindu and Buddhist festivals and festivities which are dedicated to one deity or another or and sometimes to one natural phenomenon or another. Shree Panchami, Manju Panchami or Basanta Panchami is one such day, which marks the advent of spring season. Hindus celebrate it as the day of arrival of Goddess Saraswoti, Buddhists as the day of Lord Manju Shree the God of Knowledge and Craftsmanship. Each name has its own meaning and significance for Nepalis. All these different names for one auspicious day celebrated by the Nepalese people of different faiths suggest the religious harmony in Nepal.

Thus, the first day of the spring is the special day for the Nepalis when the Goddess of Learning and the God of Knowledge and Craftsmanship step in. Thus, Basanta Panchami or Shree Panchami is not only the harbinger of spring but it was at one time the harbinger of the Nepalese civilization.