Gaura festival starts in the Far west 

Dhangadhi: Today is Bhadra Krishna Panchami, the first day of Gaura, the great festival of the Far West. Gaura festival has officially started from today itself. The first day of the Gaura festival is called 'Biruda Panchami'.

On the auspicious occasion of 'Biruda Panchami' today Biruda is kept for Gaura Puja. Biruda means a combination of five types of grains. On this day, five layers of grain and pulses such as wheat, banana, guras, pulses and wheat are soaked in a ritualistic way for Gaura Puja. On this day, after bathing and worshiping, the food set aside for Biruda is soaked in a copper or brass vessel.

Gaura Parva is celebrated according to the religious belief that in mythological times, Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas, asked Lord Shiva to be her husband and made a Shivalinga out of sand and after 12 years of hard penance, she received a boon from the gods and succeeded in making Lord Shiva her husband. It is believed that good health, good fortune and prosperity can be obtained by worshiping Lord Shiva and Parvati.