Friday, 16 February 2024

This festival is celebrated on the Ashtami of Magh Shukla Paksha. This day is observed as the death anniversary of Bhishma Pitamah, who is also known as Ganga Putra Bhishma. When Bhishma got injured in the battle of Mahabharata, he didn't leave his body and decided to wait for the auspicious time. He waited 58 days for the sun to become Uttarayana, which is considered as auspicious.

Bhishma was the son of Shantanu, who had given his son a boon in that he would be allowed to choose his own day of death. Bhishma had taken an oath not to marry and that he would ever remain faithful to his father's throne. People observe the ritual of ‘Ekodishta Shraddha’ in the honor of Bhishma and visit the nearby river banks and do the ‘Tarpan’ ritual in order to bring peace to Bhishma Pitamah's soul. They also honor their ancestors through the same ritual.

Bishma Ashtmi (1950 to 2050)