Laddus worth around Rs 30 million sold in Janakpur on Mahastami

MHANENDRANAGAR (DHANUSHA), OCTOBER 11 : Laddus worth around Rs 30 million were sold in Janakpurdham, the capital of Madhes Province, today on the occasion of Maha Ashtami, part of the ongoing Bada Dashain festival.

Laddu, a sweet, fried, doughy dessert shaped into balls, is a popular offering during religious festivals. Maha Ashtami marks the eighth day of the 10-day-long Dashain festival, the biggest celebration in Nepal.

Dashrath Saha, a central member of the Hotel and Tourism Entrepreneurs Association and proprietor of Om Bakery Janakpurdham, estimated that around 65,000 kilos of laddus, worth Rs 30 million, were sold in Janakpurdham today. Santosh Gupta, proprietor of Hansaraj Sweet Shop, added that various types of laddus were in high demand as people bought them to offer at temples. The varieties included Ghiuwala, Suddha Ghiuwala, Motichur, Mahindana, Gond, and Mewa laddus. Other sweets like Khir Kadam, Kesar Sandesh, Mewa Paik, and Kaju Barfi were also sold.

Janakpurdham has over 200 sweet shops in its downtown area.

In addition, 15,004 he-goats were sacrificed at the Rajdevi Temple, the main goddess shrine in Janakpurdham, as part of the Dashain celebrations. The ritual slaughter, conducted by the Mahaveer Youth Committee, took place over eight hours, starting at 8:39 pm on Thursday. Last year, 15,251 he-goats were sacrificed.