Maha Navami

The Navami, which is called as Maha Navami relating it to the great festival, is the ninth day of Dashain festival. This is the last day of Navratri, which means the worship of the Goddesses are held high, and end this day since next day is the Vijaya Dashami. In this day, it is believed that the families of the demons whom the Goddesses have destroyed try to save themselves hiding in the bodies of animals, and hence also called as the demon hunting day. Several manual and skilled workers, such as the artisans, craftsmen, traders, and mechanics offer the animals’ or fowls’ blood to their working tools, or their vehicles. This is because of the wide belief that worshipping the tools, equipment or vehicles prevents the accidents over the year. On this day the official military sacrifices are held in the ‘Kot’ courtyard at Hanuman Dhoka which is almost in the centre of Kathmandu. Hundreds of animals, most of which are black buffaloes, are sacrificed by slaughter in the same occasion, which is supported by the gunfires. This is the only day when the door of the infamous Taleju Temple is opened for the public, which lets thousands of devotees to worship the Goddess.