Hundreds of Buddhists congregated in India’s northeastern Tripura’s historical monastery ‘Venuban Vihar’ to participate in the 42nd Kathin Chibor Dan festival, one of the main religious festivals of the Buddhist community.
Kathin Chibor Dan – the literal meaning of which is “offering of difficult monk robe” is an annual religious festival during which Buddhist donates different items for the living of the monks including their robe made out of the cloth weaved in their own looms.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Devotees said the festival is celebrated throughout the world within one month of the conclusion of ‘Prabarana Purnima’, the full moon day of the Hindu month of Ashwini.
During ‘Maha Kathin Chibor Dan’, one of the most significant religious festivals of the Buddhists, devotees donate robes to the monks which are made of cotton and weaved by devotees overnight and consider is the biggest symbol of sacrifice, through which one can achieve salvation.
However, with fast and complicated modern life now devotees mostly buy the robes and donate them to the monks.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Nayan Rani Chakma, a devotee, said, “We on this day pray for the peace and prosperity throughout the globe and so that all living things can exist in harmony. Actually, it is Kathin Chibar and throughout the year only once during a month, this can be observed. The monks for three months live inside the monastery and after that for a period of a month, this can be observed. Kothin means tough and Chibar means the robe the monks wear. It is considered to be the toughest donation.”
According to the ritual a devotee has to reel yarn out of cotton, weave cloth out of that and colour it within 24 hours and donate it to a monk.