Indra Jatra

Indra Jatra

It is a well known fact that Hinduism and Buddhism are the two major religions of Nepal, each having it's own rules and rituals. However, like most festivals of Nepal, both Hindus and Buddhist unite to celebrate the festival of Indra Jatra. This festival is celebrated by both Hindus and Buddhists with great enthusiasm. It is also believed that Indra Jatra is a festival of classical dances. It is on this very day when one is able to observe numerous varieties of traditional dances. The festival is named after Lord Indra who is known as the god of rain and also as the king of heaven.

The festival of Indra Jatra continues for eight days with much rejoicing, singing, dancing and feasting. People from all over Nepal, mostly those who live within the Kathmandu Valley, gather at the Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. The first day of the festival is viewed by a large number of people. On that day, a long wooden pole is erected in front of the ancient Royal Palace at Hanuman Dhoka, in order to propitiate Lord Indra, the"god of rain". Classical dancers also assemble at the spot, wearing different kinds of traditional masks and costumes and dancing around the courtyard of Hanuman Dhoka to celebrate Indra's visit.

On the third day of the festival of Indra Jatra, the living goddess Kumari is taken out in a procession in a chariot. "Kumari", the "living goddess", is considered to be an incarnation of the goddess "Taleju". Chariots of Kumari, Ganesha and Bhairav are taken around the city for three days. According to Hindu beliefs Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati who has a head of an elephant and Bhairav is another form of Lord Shiva himself.

The king of Nepal, the only Hindu king in the world, also pays homage to the Kumari during this period. The festival's many interesting dances, including the Procession of Living Goddess-Mahakali, Mahalaxmi and Dasha Avatara masked dances are staged in Kathmandu Durbar Square, near the Kumari Temple. The "Dasha Avatara" refers to the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu who is one of the Hindu's Holy trinity. The excitement of the festival of Indra Jatra comes to an end on the last evening of the festival when the long wooden pole erected on the first day is lowered with religious ceremonies, animal sacrifices and ritual gestures.

Article by Avigya Karki 

Photographs By Yadhu K Balami

Oldest Style of Pottery In Nepal

Oldest Style of Pottery In Nepal

The Lakhe Dance

The Demon (Lakhe) dance 

is one of the ancient cultural dance of Kathmandu, Nepal. The dance ceremony is held every year in special occassions. The Word “Lakhe” means the demon among dieties. It has been preserved by the Newar communities of Kathmandu valley. It is believed that the tradition of Lakhe dance was practiced from the very beginning period of Malla regime. Mallas have played significant role in the history of promoting the Newari Culture of Kathmandu Valley.

The lakhe dances wearing a huge red, terrifying mask with prominent, bawdy eyes. Protruding fangs, serrated teeth, and a dark red wig complete the awe-inspiring countenance of the man-eating demon as he dances and thrashes his limbs. But the shape & size of the mask differs from one Newari community to another. They have their own distinctive identity. But in one community there must be two Demons dancing in the festivals as Gai Jatra, Indra Jatra, Barha Barse Mela & Nawa Durga Puga. One Demon represents teaser who always teases the another Demon. People also believe that the spirit of demon resides in the mask. As they put on the mask, the demon spirit will take over the dancer’s body and dictates the body movement.

Though it was raining the whole morning, lots of people came to Lord Krishna Temple at Basantapur, Kathmandu. Thousands of people kept on coming to the temple whole day till the evening 9:00 pm.

Krishna Janmasthami Celebration In Kathmandu

Krishna Janmashtami (Lord Krishna's Birth day) (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी kṛṣṇa janmāṣṭami), also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham,Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanti or sometimes merely as Janmashtami, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth ofKrishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu. Lord Krishna is the eight son of Devaki and Vasudeva.

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the Ashtami tithi, the eighth day of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadra in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra is ascendant. 

Shiddhi Cave, Bandipur

Siddhi Cave, Bandipur

Bandipur amazes visitors with its geology as much as with its scenic and cultural attractions, and it would be unthinkable not to visit its caves. The must-see destination here is Sidhha Cave, discovered only in 1987. It is said to be the largest cave not only in the kingdom but also on the South Asian subcontinent. Sightseers can check for themselves by exploring its inner recesses which are filled with natural artworks created by the stalactites and stalagmites here.

Siddha Cave is situated just above the cliff of Bimalnagar, from where it is a thirty-minute climb. The cave can be reached from Bandipur after ninety minutes of easy walking.

Mandala Making

  Mandala 12 ft.X12 ft.( Made in Basantapur, Kathmandu in the occasion of Deepawali 2068)

  

Small Mandalas for "Mha Puja" 

Mha Puja (the worship of the self), is unique festival to the Newar people of Nepal. The newars believe that one needs to understand and respect oneself before he/she can understand others. Mha puja is purification, strengthening and understanding to oneself. Mha puja carries all the grandeur that a typical Newa festival or ritual possesses. It is also distinct from other Hindu or Buddhist worships in that it is the worship of oneself and not the usual worship of Gods and Goddesses or others. Mha puja exposes the relationship of a person with the surrounding nature and the cosmos.

Mandala

Maṇḍala (मण्डल) is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle." In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the shape of a T. Mandalas often exhibit radial balance.

These mandalas, concentric diagrams, have spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism.The term is ofHindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda as the name of the sections of the work, but is also used in other Indian religions, particularly Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed into sandpainting. They are also a key part of anuttarayoga tantra meditation practices.

In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. According to the psychologist David Fontana, its symbolic nature can help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises." The psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the mandala as "a representation of the unconscious self," and believed his paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality.

In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmosmetaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective.
Source of Description: wikipedia
Photography: Yadhu K Balami