The Shrawan Jhulapurnima Festival, a 13-day celebration held from Shrawan Shukla Tritiya to Purnima, has concluded with vibrant festivities across the Mithila region. The festival, dedicated to the deities Vishnu and Laxmi, is observed with communal devotion at temples, featuring the main ritual of placing idols of Ram-Sita and Krishna-Radha on artistic swings known as “Kokra” and gently rocking them.
Participants, including farmers who have completed rice planting before the festival, gather at local temples to engage in bhajan (devotional songs) and keertan (spiritual hymns). The main highlight of the festival involves singing traditional Mithila folk songs such as Jhulamala, Malara, and Kajari, and the swinging of idols until the midnight of Shrawan Purnima, when the festival concludes with the ceremonial cutting of the silk threads.
The festival is renowned in ancient Mithila, particularly in Mahottari’s Mathihani Lakshmi Narayana Temple and Janakpur’s Janaki Temple. It marks the period following the main rice planting season when farmers pray for favorable weather and admire the lush green paddy fields as a reward for their labor.
The origins of Jhulapurnima are believed to be linked to Ayodhya and Vrindavan, reflecting the cultural exchanges between these historic sites and Mithila. According to local tradition, the festival began around 1787 AD, initiated by Sant Surkishore Das at the Laxmi Narayana Temple in Mithila.
The tradition also incorporates local folklore, such as the legend of the gemstone mound presented by King Janak during Ram-Sita’s marriage. This mound, known as Manipurvat, is located about five kilometers northwest of the Janaki Temple in Janakpur and is venerated at the beginning of the festival.
During the festival, deities are brought from various temples in Mathihani and Janakpur to be placed on swings at a central location. Mathihani has a dedicated swing house where the Vishnu-Laxmi idols are carried in a ceremonial procession. The festival also sees the participation of sadhus and saints who converge at the temples to celebrate the event, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and traditional practices of Mithila.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Bimal, an expert in Mithila’s cultural traditions, highlighted that Jhulapurnima is a significant cultural festival that embodies the local customs and devotional practices of the region.
