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Nepal JyotishTraditional Science
Festivals

Teej (Haritalika)

The story of Haritalika (Teej), when Parvati, the daughter of the Himalaya, fasted to win Shiva as her husband.

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Teej (Haritalika)

Parvati, the daughter of the Himalaya, had firmly resolved to have Lord Shiva as her husband. But when her father Himalaya decided to marry her to Lord Vishnu, Parvati was overcome with sorrow.

To help her, Parvati's friends secretly abducted her (made off with her) and hid her in a lonely cave in the forest. On the day of the Bhadra Shukla Tritiya, Parvati fashioned a Shiva linga out of sand and undertook a severe fast, taking neither food nor water.

Pleased by Parvati's single-minded devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before her in person and accepted her as his wife.

Because she observed the fast in the forest to which her friends had 'abducted' her, this holy date was called 'Haritalika'. In commemoration of this, Hindu women observe the 'Teej' fast on the Bhadra Shukla Tritiya for the long life of their husbands and for a happy married life.

Note: These are traditional Nepali folk tales (kimbadanti), passed down orally through generations. They may or may not reflect actual historical events, but they are told and believed as part of Nepal's cultural heritage.

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