Sarasvati Festivals [12, 13]

Sarasvati Jatra [12] takes place on the night of the fourth day of the fortnight, and is part of a unit or sequence that includes the events of

the following day ([13], below). On the day of Sarasvati Jatra students, for whom Sarasvati is a patron deity, go to her main temple, and massage the legs of her jatra image. It is said that she has just returned from a long journey from Lhasa in Tibet, and her legs are tired.^[19] In the course of the day the image, on this day referred to as "Sarasvati who has returned from Lhasa" is carried around the main festival route, in a small procession, or jatra . (Minor.)

Sri Pa(n)chami [13], which occurs the next day, continues the special worship of Sarasvati or (an alternate appellation) Sri, in common with other Nepalese Hindus. This is again primarily a festival for students and their households. The students fast by not eating meat on this day. They go to the main Sarasvati temple to pray for success in their studies. Prasada from the deity is brought back to the household to be shared. Men and women Jyapus also go on this day to the temple and pray to Sarasvati for aid in the weaving of cloth and in farmwork. People from other groups may worship her at her temple on that day, particularly those who, like the students, have or wish to have skills that require study and memory.

Jyapu bhajana groups play music at the Sarasvati temple on this day. They play special music called "Basanta" or "spring music"—although Basanta, starting in Caitra (Caulathwa), is still two months away, for this day is the traditional lunar event associated with the early part of the "ascending half" of the year, which had begun some three weeks earlier.

Sri Pa(n)chami is important to essential members of the city's society and is thus in our scale of "moderate" importance for the city.