Biska Jatra kicks off in Bhaktapur

KATHMANDU: Biska Jatra, the New Year festival, started in Bhaktapur on Thursday. The festival is celebrated for eight nights.

Locals gathered at Taumadhi – the big square in front of the famous Nyatapol Temple – from early in the morning to offer prayers at the chariot of God Bhairav.

During the festival, two chariots carrying the idols of the deities Bhairab and Bhadrakali are pulled through the streets of Bhaktapur by enthusiastic crowds of devotees. The chariots stop at various points where people offer prayers and perform rituals.

On the first day, people pull the chariot after worshiping the main deity of Bhairavnath and the Betal deity seated on the three-storied pagoda-style chariot of Bhairav. The chariot is pulled from Taumadhi to Gahiti through Sukuldhoka, Golmadhi and Nasmana. People pull the chariots from opposite sides like a tug of war and try to take the chariot to their localities. This tug-of-war is one of the main attractions of the festival.

The chariot is kept in Gahiti for two days. On the fourth day of the festival, which falls on the last day of the year according to the Bikram Sambat calendar, a 55-foot pole is erected at Lyasingkhel. Two strands of clothes are hung on the pole, which is believed to represent two serpents. The pillar is erected with the support of eight ropes, which signify the Asta Matrika (eight Matrika gods). After the pillar is erected, special worship is performed at the temple of Goddess Taleju.

On the fifth day of the festival, which is New Year’s Day, the pillar is dismantled. After that, the chariots of Bhairav and Bhadrakali are arranged in Gahiti Square, with the Bhairava chariot facing north and the Bhadrakali chariot facing south. The two chariots are then pushed toward each other. The banging of the two chariots is considered divine mating.

While the sixth day is dedicated to the Mahalaxmi Jatra, the Brahmayani Jatra marks the seventh day. Likewise, the eighth day is dedicated to the worship of God Ganesh.