Ghatasthapana is the first day of Dashain, Nepal’s longest and most important Hindu festival. The word “Ghatasthapana” literally means the establishment of the sacred pot (ghada), which symbolizes the goddess Durga. On this day, devotees invoke the goddess and begin the nine-day ritual of worship known as Navaratri. It marks the beginning of the Dashain festival and represents the victory of good over evil.
On Ghatasthapana morning, a small clay pot filled with holy water is placed in a prayer room or a clean sacred space. Around the pot, a mixture of soil and barley seeds is spread, and it is covered so that the seeds can sprout into fresh green shoots called Jamara. A priest or the eldest male member of the household performs a ritual, chanting mantras and placing a kalash (sacred vessel) on the soil to invite Durga’s divine energy into the home. This Jamara is carefully nurtured for nine days with daily prayers and offerings.
Nepali people celebrate Ghatasthapana with a sense of renewal and devotion. Families clean and decorate their homes, prepare offerings, and begin fasting or spiritual discipline in honor of Goddess Durga. In urban as well as rural areas, people visit temples to witness special rituals performed by priests. The Jamara grown from Ghatasthapana is later distributed on Dashami, the main day of Dashain, as a blessing from the elders along with tika. This ritual brings families together and strengthens cultural ties, making Ghatasthapana not just a religious practice but also a symbol of unity and tradition in Nepali society.