The festival that has no equals
ANUSTHA SHRESTHA
OCT 29- Kathmandu Post
Legend tells us that a huge empire called Bishalnagari once extended around the Valley. The queen of the empire and her best friend were pregnant together, and while discussing various issues, the queen’s friend said that the lord Narayan himself had to lay a path for the queen’s baby to be born. The queen shrugged off the idea; after all, why would a God be required for such a minor event? As days passed, the friend gave birth, but the queen didn’t. Everybody waited for the heir to the throne, but the queen couldn’t deliver the baby even after 12 long years. The king then consulted an astrologer who said that Lord Narayan had gone to the Himalayas for meditation and until he came back to assist in the birth, the queen would not be able to deliver the child. The king then set off to the mountain to request the lord to help. In return, he promised the God festivities that no one had ever seen before.
True to what the king had said, the Narayan Jatra of Handi Gaun is unique. In fact, it is so unique that it has even lent its name to a Nepali proverb—Kahin Nabhayeko Jatra, Handi Gaun Ma—
implying the jatra here is one of a kind.
One can easily make out at first sight why this festival is called so. The first things that stand out are the strangely-built chariots, which appear to be inverted. Usually, chariots for the gods inside the Valley are built in traditional Newari pagoda style, tapering towards the top with a gajur—the most common one being Rato Machhendranath’s chariot. Here in Handi Gaun, the three chariots resemble inverted tops, with three circular bamboo structures stacked on top of each other and a single wooden pole that acts a truss for the three discs. An idol of lord Narayan is placed above the three bamboo discs, which are then rotated by two people standing beneath the structure, with a priest to accompany them. The chariot is carried around the locality by others.
The three toles of Handi Gaun each bring out a different, albeit similarly constructed, chariot. A white disc at the top of each chariot represents the Himalayas from which the lord had to be coaxed to come to the palace, while the first bamboo disc represents the lower foothills of the Himalayas—the Mahabharat range. This disc is decorated with pine leaves and marigold flowers. The entire chariot is decorated by wax flowers (called siswann in Nepal Bhasa).
Though the legend has been passed down from
generations, there are no historical records as to when this festival began. Although a date encrypted on one of the idol cryptically reads 838, no one really knows whether this corresponds to the Bikram Sambat or the Nepal Sambat. But that doesn’t really matter. The three-day festival is celebrated every year beginning from Kojagrat Purnima, the first full moon after Dashain. The chariots are taken across the locality and dismantled on the third day, with the idol returning to its residence in the priest’s home.
True to what the king had said, the Narayan Jatra of Handi Gaun is unique. In fact, it is so unique that it has even lent its name to a Nepali proverb—Kahin Nabhayeko Jatra, Handi Gaun Ma—
implying the jatra here is one of a kind.
One can easily make out at first sight why this festival is called so. The first things that stand out are the strangely-built chariots, which appear to be inverted. Usually, chariots for the gods inside the Valley are built in traditional Newari pagoda style, tapering towards the top with a gajur—the most common one being Rato Machhendranath’s chariot. Here in Handi Gaun, the three chariots resemble inverted tops, with three circular bamboo structures stacked on top of each other and a single wooden pole that acts a truss for the three discs. An idol of lord Narayan is placed above the three bamboo discs, which are then rotated by two people standing beneath the structure, with a priest to accompany them. The chariot is carried around the locality by others.
The three toles of Handi Gaun each bring out a different, albeit similarly constructed, chariot. A white disc at the top of each chariot represents the Himalayas from which the lord had to be coaxed to come to the palace, while the first bamboo disc represents the lower foothills of the Himalayas—the Mahabharat range. This disc is decorated with pine leaves and marigold flowers. The entire chariot is decorated by wax flowers (called siswann in Nepal Bhasa).
Though the legend has been passed down from
generations, there are no historical records as to when this festival began. Although a date encrypted on one of the idol cryptically reads 838, no one really knows whether this corresponds to the Bikram Sambat or the Nepal Sambat. But that doesn’t really matter. The three-day festival is celebrated every year beginning from Kojagrat Purnima, the first full moon after Dashain. The chariots are taken across the locality and dismantled on the third day, with the idol returning to its residence in the priest’s home.
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