JANAKPUR: The Mithila Madhyama parikrama (circumambulation) has reached the banks of the Viraja River in Mahottari. In Kanchanban, participants of the circumambulation, including sadhus and saints, welcomed the Holi festival early in the morning by applying colors and abir (vermilion powder) to each other. The sadhus and saints were immersed in Holi songs.

According to religious belief, during the Treta Yuga, after the marriage of Ram and Janaki (Sita), they traveled through various parts of Mithila. On the day of Holi, they are believed to have reached Kanchanban and played Holi there. In memory of that day, the tradition of celebrating the ‘Hori Festival’ in Kanchanban continues.

On Monday, during the Mithila circumambulation, sadhus and saints reached Kanchanban and celebrated the Holi festival. The procession, which had set out from Hanumannagar in Janakpur carrying the sacred palanquin (dola), passed through Kalyaneshwar, Girijasthan, Matihani, Jaleshwar, Madai, and Dhruvakund before arriving at Kanchanban. Each year, during the Mithila pilgrimage circuit, a Holi festival is organized in Kanchanban, where sadhus, saints, and other participants joyfully smear colors on each other.

On this day, colors and abir are offered to the deity as prasad. In the Mithilanchal region, Holi is generally celebrated the day after Phagu Purnima. However, those taking part in the Mithila Madhyama circumambulation begin celebrating the Holi festival once the sacred palanquin of the deity reaches Kanchanban.

Mahant (priest) Binod Das, who has been participating in the Mithila circumambulation since 1984 (2041 BS), said that when the pilgrimage reaches Kanchanban, both sadhus and ordinary devotees celebrate Holi together. “Like every year, this year too, participants who reached Kanchanban with the sacred palanquin of Mithila Bihari (deity) celebrated Holi by applying colors to each other,” said Mahant Das. “After participants play with colors in Kanchanban, the Holi festival officially begins in the Mithilanchal region.”

The Mithila Madhyama circumambulation begins on the first day (Pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the Nepali month of Falgun and reaches Kanchanban from Dhruvakund on the seventh day (Saptami) along with the sacred palanquin of Mithila Bihari. Kanchanban lies at the confluence of the Ichhawati Ganga and Viraja Ganga rivers. It is widely believed that Ram and Sita celebrated Holi at this very place.

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