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Nepal's
Religious Festivals |
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| Kumari
- The living Goddess |
| Indra
Jatra Festival |
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Koniya
of Kumari Rath Yatra (southern parts' festival) and Thaniya Jatra (northern
parts' festival)
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Thousands
of people thronged the Basantapur Durbar Square in central Kathmandu to
observe the Rath Yatra (chariot procession) of the living Goddess Kumari,
Gods Ganesh and Bhairab on the third-day of Indra Jatra. Their Majesties
King Gyanendra and Queen Komal also graced the Rath Yatra of Kumari. Paying
homage to the Kumari, Their Majesties the King and Queen threw coins from
the balcony of Basantapur Durbar. |
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The
chariots, carrying the Kumari, Ganesh and Bhairab, went around the thoroughfares
of the capital.
Thousands of people, including tourists and children, were
gathered on either side along the route of the chariot procession to watch
this traditional chariot festival, a practice continued since time immemorial. The third day of Indra Jatra is considered the most significant of the
festival because the living Goddess Kumari is taken out of the Kumari House
and is paraded in a chariot.
As
per tradition, before the Kumari's procession is taken out, Pancha Buddha
or five priests (selected from Bajracharya community of Buddhists) offer
special puja (prayers) to the Goddess at a secret function. Then along
with the Goddess Kumari, Gods Ganesh and Bhairab are brought out of their
respective residences in different chariots to the sound of traditional
musical instruments. (An interesting detail is that the Kumari, Ganesh
and Bhairab are selected from the Buddhist Shakya clan only).
Before
the start of chariot festival, a goat is sacrificed for each wheel of the
chariots and special pujas are offered. It is believed that after performing
this special puja and sacrifices made, the chariots would become immune
to any untoward incident throughout the procession.
The
procession is called Koniya Jatra (southern parts' festival) in Newari.
This is because the chariots are taken in procession through the southern
parts of the city like Maru, Chikanmugal, Majimat, Jaisidewal, Jyabahal,
Lagan, Brahma Tole, Humat, Kwahiti, Bhimsensthan and then back to Basantapur.
Then on the day after, the chariots procession is taken out through the
northern parts, and this the procession is known as Thaniya Jatra (northern
parts' festival). Starting from the Kumari House at Basantapur, the chariots
move through the places like Pyaphal, Yatkha, Nardevi, Tangal, Bangemudha,
Ason, Keltole, Indrachowk, Makhan, Hanumandhoka and back to Kumari House.
Throughout
the procession, Panche Baja, traditional musical band and army band and
Saduljung Gulm (traditional Royal Army) also accompany the chariots. Raj
Khadga (the ceremonial Royal Sceptre, representing the King) is carried
along with the chariot.
An
interesting part of the Jatra is that the various traditional masked dances
are performed at Basantapur and other places along the route of the procession.
Majipa Lakhe, Pulu Kisi and Mahakali dance (performed especially by people
from Bhaktapur) are the most interesting parts of the festival, following
the Kumari chariot today.
Whenever
the chariot of Kumari reaches at the location of the images of God Bhairab
installed at different points along the procession route, the public rush
forward for a drop of Jaand (traditional liquor) poured from the Bhairab's
mouth. This jaand from Bhairab is considered a holy offering on the occasion,
Bhairab images along the route are installed with a pipe fixed on its mouth
to make pouring of the liquor easier.
"Indra
Jatra is the festival of God Indra in which the Kumari Jatra is just a
part of it," says Tamrakar, adding that history books state that Jay Prakash
Malla, the last Malla King of the Kathmandu Valley, started the chariot
procession of living Goddess Kumari around 245 years ago. Indra Jatra is
also mentioned in ancient religious texts of the Rhig Veda."
Newar
community of the Valley invites their relatives and friends to their homes,
as the day has come to be a day of a feasting. In the evening after the
puja, the people go around different parts of the Valley lighting oil-fed
lamps (Pala) at different parts of the city in memory of their family members
who were dead within the past one year.
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