Nepal: Hindu Women Mark Hartalika Teej with Fasting and Prayer

Aug 26, 2025

Kathmandu (Nepal), August 26 (ANI): Draped in red sarees and adorned with traditional ornaments, thousands of Nepali Hindu women gathered at the sacred Pashupatinath Temple on Monday to celebrate Hartalika Teej, a festival deeply rooted in devotion, tradition, and sisterhood. Observed on the third day of the dark lunar fortnight in the month of Bhadra, Hartalika Teej is marked by rigorous fasting, devotional prayers, and heartfelt songs that echo women’s struggles and aspirations. Women believe that, like Goddess Parvati who observed a similar fast for Lord Shiva, their devotion ensures the well-being and longevity of their husbands and brings prosperity to their families. As described in the Skanda Purana, the festival is called Haritalika Teej because, in the Satya Yuga (the age of truth), Goddess Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas, was hidden by her companions to prevent her marriage to Lord Vishnu, as she wished instead to wed Lord Shiva. Both married and unmarried women observe fasting and perform pujas. Married women pray for the long life and prosperity of their husbands, while unmarried women worship Lord Shiva and Parvati, believing that doing so will bless them with an ideal life partner.