Sri Panchami: The Day of Triple Religious Importance

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Nepalis celebrate Sri Panchami: the day of triple religious importance on the fifth day of the bright fortnight called Shila Thava of the Nepal Sambat (Nepal calendar), in the month of Magha of the Vikram calendar, in January of the Christian calendar. On this day Hindus perform worship to Sarasvati: Goddess of Learning; Buddhists make offerings to Lord Manjusri: God of Knowledge and craftsmanship; State priests perform special rituals to welcome the spring season and to announce the beginning of spring at Nasalchovak in Kathmandu.

Sri is the female form of preserver of the Hindu world also called Mahalaxmi: the combined form of Goddess Sarasvati and Goddess Laxmi; Panchami means the fifth day; thus, Sri Panchami means the fifth day of the Goddess of Learning. Another name of the Goddess of Learning is Sarasvati, and is depicted by the image of a four-armed female Goddess riding on a white swan. Her first right arm and the first left arm hold a musical instrument called ‘vina’, the second right hand holds a book, and the second left hand a rosary.

Goddess Sri is the supreme authority of learning of art, music and literacy. Sri is Goddess Sarasvati for Hindus and Lord Manjusri for Buddhists.

Nepalis believe that Sri came from Lhasa to the Nepal Valley on the eve of Sri Panchami. There is a shrine to Lhasa Sarasvati at the hills in the northeastern part of Bhaktapur about 20 km from Kathmandu, where Lhasa Sarasvati is believed to be residing in the winter season. So, devotees visit the shrine in the month of Magha until the day she travels to Nepal.

On the night she reaches Nepal, men, and women and children devotees visit shrines to Goddess Sarasvati to give Her a relaxing massage with mustard oil. Next day, they visit Her to make offerings and receive blessings from Her.

Hindus celebrate Sri Panchami to welcome the Goddess of Learning Sarasvati. A religious event is held at all shrines to Sarasvati but a major event is held at three main shrines. They are Sarasvati/Manjusri at Svayambhu, Lele Sarasvati in the Lalitpur district, and Nil Sarasvati at Lazimpat in Kathmandu.

On the Sri Panchami day, scholars, artists, teachers, students, artisans, craftsmen and professionals bring the product of their skills and offer such items to the Goddess and receive blessings from Her to be more skillful in their job. They believe that by doing so the Goddess makes them more skillful in their work.

Parents take their children to one of the shrines to Goddess Sarasvati for beginning their first lesson of learning alphabets. Children write something in the praise of Goddess Sarasvati on the walls of the shrine with a piece of chalk or talc as the beginning of the first lesson of learning in their lives. Parents believe that such writings will inspire their children to learn.

Some students take seven unbroken manually husked rice, and touch those rice grains to the image of Goddess Sarasvati and then swallow them not touching the teeth. They believe that by doing so their memory power will be strengthened.

Nepalese Buddhists call this day Manju Panchami and celebrate it performing worship to Lord Manjusri: the God of Learning and craftsmanship. According to the Vajrayan mythology, Manjusri came from Lhasa to pay homage to Lord Svayambhu when the Kathmandu Valley was still a lake.

When Lord Manjusri reached the top of the Maha-manda-giri: the current Nagarkot, he saw the beautiful landscape of the Kathmandu Valley. At that time the lake was the domain of Nagas (serpent deities). The Serpent king called Kakort Naga ruled over it.

Fascinated by the beauty of the valley, Lord Manjusri thought that if the water were released from the lake, the valley would be a beautiful place for people to live in. So, the Lord went to the lowest part of the surrounding hills and cut the rock with his divine sword and let the water flow out of the valley. The lowest area happened to be the current Covar.

Taudaha became the domain of Serpent King Karkot Naga. When the Kathmandu Valley Lake became dry land. Nagas have nowhere to dwell. So, Serpent King Karkot Naga pleaded with Lord Manjusri for providing him with a domain for sheltering his subjects. Lord Manjusri made a small lake for the Naga King and his subjects to live in to the south of the Kathmandu Valley. The lake is known as Taudaha even today. Once a year a religious festival is held there on the day of Naga Panchami to revere Nagas.

After draining off the water from the lake, the area became the beautiful land for people to live in. So, Lord Manjusri built a city-state called Manjupatan, and crowned his disciple called Dharmakar the ruler of Manjupatan. Thereafter, he taught the people various crafts, arts, music and dances to make Manjupatan the most prosperous city-state. Thus, original dwellers of the Kathmandu Valley were the students of Lord Manjusri. So, some Nepalis still believe that the valley has inherited so much of different cultures from the teachings of Lord Manjusri.

Manjupatan is widely described in ancient chronicles of Nepal. Some people believe that the current Majipat was Manjupatan. There is a shrine to Lord Manjusri at Majipat. Others believe that the current Deupatan was Manjupatan and Goddess Bagesvari is Lord Manjusri. There is a shrine to Lord Manjusri just behind the Svayambhu hill where Buddhists worship Him as Lord Manjusri and Hindus worship Him as Goddess Sarasvati. So, this deity symbolizes the coexistence of Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal.

For Nepalese Buddhists, Goddess Sarasvati is Lord Manjusri. This belief is substantiated by the image of Goddess Sarasvati near the Buddhist shrine at Cavahil in Kathmandu. In this image, one of Her hands holds ‘khadga’: a divine sword and a symbol of power by which Lord Manjusri made an opening at Covar to release the waters from the Kathmandu Valley.

Nepalis celebrate Sri Panchami as the first day of the spring season. On this day, Nepalese high officials such as President, Vice-president, Prime Minister, ministers and other high government officials gather at Nasalchovak at the ancient palace complex in Kathmandu to celebrate ‘Vasanta Sravon’ literally meaning listening to the announcement of the beginning of the spring season. So, Sri Panchami is also known as Vasanta Panchami.

On this occasion, state priests perform worship to the Goddess of Learning Sarasvati and to the Spring Season in the courtyard called Nasalchovak. A musical band lays an auspicious tune in praise of the season. Thereafter, the priests offer the season’s blessings to all the officials present there.

Sri Panchami is the most auspicious day for businessmen, craftsmen and artisans for new start-ups. They wait for this day to begin a new venture believing the day ensures them success.

This day is also the most auspicious day for performing various social events. So, on this day, Nepalis perform most of the auspicious ceremonies such as weddings, adulthood ceremonies to sons and mock marriage to young daughters without consulting astrologers for finding a best auspicious moment.

The Nepalese life is colorful because of the Hindu and Buddhist festivals and festivities dedicated to one deity or another and sometimes to one natural phenomenon or another, and celebrated by both the Hindus and Buddhists in their own tradition and belief. Sri Panchami, Manju Panchami or Vasanta Panchami is one such day that marks the advent of the Spring Season. It is celebrated as the day of arrival of Goddess Sarasvati by the Hindus and of Lord Manjusri: god of knowledge and craftsmanship by Buddhists. Each name has its own meaning and significance for Nepalis. All these different names for one auspicious day celebrated by the people of different faiths suggest the religious harmony in Nepal.

January 27, 2009.

Note: When the water in the Kathmandu Lake gradually subsided, the first landmass to appear from the lake was the tip of the current hillock called Svayambhu means self-appearing.