The Swasthani Brata, the annual festival commemorating Goddess Swasthani, began on Thursday, with hundred of devotees thronging the banks of Shali Nadi in Sankhu, 15km from Kathmandu. 

The festival, also known   as Madhav Naryan festival, usually begins on the full moon day in the Nepali month of Poush (between January and Feburary) and ends on the next full moon day. The mention of Shali Nadi (river) in the story makes it a major holy place for the devotees to visit during the month of Swasthani Brata Katha recitation.

The month-long festival draws pilgrims from across the country to Sankhu. Many devotees set up their camp on the river banks for the entire duration of the festival. 

The devotees who keep fast take only one meal a day and recite the story of Goddess Swasthani in mid-afternoon, while those not keeping fast narrate the story either early in 

the morning or in the evening just after the daily puja.  Goddess Swasthani, it is believed, grants the wishes of her devotees who keep fast in her name. (PR)