By Our Correspondent

Jaleshwor, Aug. 17 : The Jhula Festival, celebrated in Mithilanchal every year in the Nepali month of Shrawan to commemorate the time lord Ram and Sita swung on a swing together in the Treta Yuga, has begun. Celebrations have engulfed the entire district of Mahottari, especially Baba Kutti and Matihani, which are the traditional centres for the Jhula Festival.

The festival, celebrated from the third day of the bright lunar fortnight of Shrawan to the full moon day, is celebrated by taking the idols of Ram and Sita from the Laxmi Narayan shrine in Matihani to the Jhula house for swinging. The idols are taken on a palanquin amidst a musical procession while devotees chant hymns and offer prayers, shared Hari Prasad Mandal, mayor of Matihani Municipality.

Jagannath Das Vaishnav, Manmahantha of the Laxmi Narayan shrine informed that the Jhula Festival was celebrated in a grand manner in Mahottari, Janakpurdham, Sarlahi, Saptari and the Tirhut region of Bihar, India.
In previous years, fairs used to be organised all over the Mithila region throughout the Jhula period which used to be attended by pilgrims from India and Nepal. But for the past two years, the fairs have not been as large as they used to be thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have significantly toned down the celebrations for health and safety reasons. Only locals were allowed to attend the Jhula festival this year,” Mayor Mandal said.
Mandal wished that the pandemic would end soon so that the festival could get back to its former glory and also attract national and international tourists to the municipality.