Damauli (Tanahun), 11 December: A doli of 38 flowers has been placed at the Thanimai Temple located in Basantapur, Bhanu Municipality-7, Tanahun today, the last Tuesday of Mangsir (December).
Devotees from Tanahun, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lamjung, and Nawalpur brought flower garlands to the temple. Temple Management Committee Chairman Jeevan Thapa informed that 5,028 devotees offered prayers at the temple during that period. Similarly, the number of people who stayed awake and lit lamps on Monday night was 207.
On the first Tuesday of Mangsir(December), 43 flower Dolis were brought in and on the third Tuesday, 26 Dolis. On the second Tuesday, however, no flower Dolis were brought in because it fell on Ekadashi. Every year, devotees from different parts of the country offer flower garlands at the Thanimai Temple on Tuesdays of the months of Kartik, Mangsir, Magh, Falgun and Chait according to Nepali calendar (November-April). On Tuesdays of those months, a crowd of people gather at the temple to offer flower garlands.
Thapa says that there is a religious belief that offering a flower garland in the temple will fulfill the wishes of the heart. Devotees perform a spinning around of the Thanimai temple three times with a flower garland and a panchaibaja. After the spinning around, the toran carried with the garland is tied to the temples in the temple premises on the hilltop by twisting it three times. Then, they enter the temple and worship, saying that their wishes and vows have been fulfilled.
The Basantapur area is filled with the sound of drums and flags, and the tradition of preparing flower garlands after worshipping Satyanarayan on Mondays and offering them at the Thanimai temple has been going on since long. Worship is held at the temple on all days except the month of Shrawan, Ekadashi and Aunsi. Located at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level, one can see the views of Gorkha’s Laxmi Bazaar, Liglig Kot, Palungtar, Rainaskot and other mountain ranges from here. The reconstruction of the temple, which was damaged by the earthquake of Baisakh 12, 2072 BS (25 April 2015), has been completed.
The temple was reconstructed at a cost of 2 million rupees, comprising 1.4 million rupees received from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and 6 million rupees collected from temple offerings. Locals say that worship began in this temple in 1825 BS.
How to go to Thanimai temple
