Bach Baras will be celebrated on August 20, 2025. On this day, women worship the cow and calf and pray for the long life, happiness, prosperity, and well-being of their sons and families. Pearl millet, sprouted grains, and buffalo milk are used in the worship. This festival is held four days after Janmashtami on the Dwadashi of Bhadrapada month.
New Delhi: Bach Baras Vrat 2025 will be observed on August 20th. This festival falls on the Krishna Dwadashi of Bhadrapada month, four days after Janmashtami. On this day, women ritually worship the cow and calf, wishing for the well-being of their sons and happiness in their homes. Pearl millet, sprouted grains, and buffalo milk are used in the worship, and special stories related to the fast are narrated.
Auspicious Time for Worship
According to astrologer Dr. Aneesh Vyas, the Dwadashi Tithi of Bhadrapada month begins at 03:32 PM on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, and ends at 01:58 PM on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Therefore, the Bach Baras Vrat will be observed on August 20th.
Preparation and Materials for Worship
Special materials are used in Bach Baras Puja. These include buffalo milk and yogurt, soaked chickpeas and moth beans, pearl millet sogra (thick roti), and sprouted grains. On this day, wheat and vegetables cut with a knife are not eaten. The worship area is decorated with a pond made of soil and cow dung, filled with raw milk, and adorned with kumkum and mauli (sacred thread).
Ritualistic Worship of Cow and Calf
After bathing before sunrise, women worship the cow and calf. During the worship, incense and lamps are lit, and the story of the puja is narrated. Milk, yogurt, and other offerings are offered to the idol or clay figure of the cow and calf.
The Story of Bach Baras
According to futurist Dr. Aneesh Vyas, a long time ago, a moneylender lived in a village with his seven sons and grandsons. He built a pond in the village, but it did not fill for twelve years. The priests said that it would only fill with water if his eldest son or grandson was sacrificed.
The moneylender sent his daughter-in-law to her parents' home and sacrificed his eldest grandson. Suddenly, it started raining, and the pond filled up. That same day, Bach Baras arrived, and the family performed a puja at the pond. By mistake, a calf was cooked, but it came out safely. Since then, the tradition of worshiping the calf and cow began on this day.
Preparation of Bayna-Prasad
In Bach Baras, there is also a tradition of applying tilak and giving Bayna. Soaked chickpeas, moth beans, and pearl millet are placed in a bowl with a rupee on top. After sprinkling with roli (red powder) and rice, it is touched with hands after the puja and given to the mother-in-law. The fasting woman consumes cold pearl millet roti, buffalo milk, and gram flour prasad (offering).
The Udyapan (completion) of Bach Baras is performed in those years when a son is born or when a son gets married. Special preparations are made with pearl millet sogra and soaked moth beans for the puja. A little over one and a quarter seer (a unit of measurement) of material is placed in a plate, touched with hands, and given to the mother-in-law.
