Bajura folks seek divine intervention to bring rain

Bajura, April 16

The prolonged drought in the far-western region has prompted locals to seek divine intervention to bring rain. Villagers can be seen visiting temples and offering payers after water sources dried up due to the protracted drought.

People in the region are reeling under acute shortage of water.

Man Bahadur Saud from Achham said locals had started visiting the temples, offering prayers and sacrificing goats in a bid to appease God believing this would help bring rain to the region’s parched landscapes.

“Water resources have dried up in the villages causing an acute water crisis,” said Saud. He added that villagers had started chanting religious hymns to appease the God. Residents of hilly districts of Bajura, Achham, Bajhang, Doti in the far west have the tradition of appeasing the God for rain.

Dan Bahadur Rokaya of Bajura’s Kanda VDC said there was long tradition of people visiting the temples seeking divine intervention to bring rain when there was a prolonged drought in the region.

Manmati Budha from Granja village in Bajura shared that they believe that offering prayers and sacrificing livestock would appease the God.

According to Kale Nepali, people are sacrificing he-goats and offering prayers every day seeking rain in Bajura’s Barhabishe VDC.

For the past one week, women from Thanti VDC in Achham have been performing bhajan kirtan at the temple . Local Lalmani Chadara said they were facing a long drought as the God was angry. “It will rain if we appease the God. That is what people think here,” said Chadara.

Similarly, Suman Joshi from Bajhang’s Chhanna VDC said people were thronging the temple to offer prayers in belief that appeasing the God would help bring rain.

Protracted drought has wilted the crops in Humla, Jumla, Mugu, Kalikot, Bajura, Achham, Doti and Bajhang districts.