Why pilgrims from India and Nepal throng to see an orchid that blooms in April · Global Voices
Shrine dedicated to gardener sisters whom <PERSON> used to meet at the Salahesh fulbari in Siraha district of eastern Nepal. Image by <PERSON>.
An orchid that blooms around mid-April in a garden of historical and cultural significance in Siraha, eastern Nepal attracts hordes of pilgrims from both India and Nepal every year.
The locals in the area of the garden, known as the Salahesh Fulbari, believe that the flower blooms on the very first day of the year, 1st of Baishakh (the first month in the Nepali Calendar). According to legend, the orchid symbolizes the garland offered to the folk hero <PERSON> by his beloved malin (a Maithili word for a female gardener).
अनौठो फूल !
पूर्व–पश्चिम राजमार्गअन्तर्गत सिरहाको पडारिया चोकदेखि दक्षिणमा रहेको ऐतिहासिक तथा प्राचीन फूलबारीमा नयाँ वर्ष वैशाख १ गते मात्र फुल्ने फूल । ‘सल्हेस’ फूलबारी ‘हारमको’ रुखमा एकाबिहानै सुनाखरी आकारको फूल फुल्छ र साँझ ओइलाएर जान्छ । तस्वीर: रासस pic.twitter.com/SCRYHquX0I
— Saral Patrika (@SaralPatrika) April 13, 2018
Strange flower!
A flower that blooms only on the New Year 1st of Baishakh at the historical and ancient garden located in the south of Siraha’s Padariya Chowk on the East-West Highway. The orchid blooms on the haram tree in the Salahesh Garden early in the morning and wilts in the evening. Photo: RSS (National News Agency)
Fascinating folklores, cultural demigod
Not much has been written about <PERSON>, also known as <PERSON> (the king of mountains) and Jayavardhan. However, in the southern plains of eastern Nepal and adjoining states in Bihar of India, there are many folklore stories featuring <PERSON> and his adventures. 765
Different versions of folktales handed down from one generation to the other talk about <PERSON>’s bravery and his love for his malin.
According to one legend, <PERSON> used to visit the Salahesh Fulbari to pick flowers for use in religious rituals after performing his ablutions. He would meet four sisters who were gardeners there, and in due course, he fell in love with one of them. The orchid which blooms in mid-April every year, according to locals, symbolizes that love. Young couples visit the garden on the Nepali New Year’s Day to receive blessings for their love and express hope that their love would last long just like that of <PERSON> and his gardener love.
According to many stories about <PERSON>, he was a Dusadh, a member of the so-called untouchable community. He is also claimed, however, by the Danuwar community. But <PERSON> is worshipped by all, irrespective of caste and ethnicity. With time, he has evolved for several communities from a Dalit hero into a demigod. 351