Dashain festival began on Thursday with Ghatasthapana, as Hindus across the country sowed seeds for jamara in their homes and temples.

Ghatasthapana, which means ‘establishing the pot,’ involves setting up a kalasha (holy water vessel) and oil-fed lamp on an altar and offering prayers to the Hindu god Ganesh. The festival is dedicated to Durga, the goddess of power.

On this day, barley, wheat, and corn seeds are mixed and planted in sand at the altar of goddess Durga, where they are watered daily. The seeds grow into jamara, which is offered with tika (a mixture of rice, vermillion, and yogurt) as a blessing on the tenth day.

The ritual continues until Kojagrat Purnima, the festival’s final day. In Kathmandu’s Hanumandhoka, seeds for jamara was sown at 9:16am in a special ceremony this year.