Maha Astami 2007

The eighth day of Bada Dashain is called the Maha Asthami. The night of this day is also called as “Kaal Ratri,” the dark night. Hundreds of goats, sheep, and buffaloes are sacrificed at the mother goddess temples on that night. The sacrifice continues till dawn.

Maha Astami has great importance in Newari culture. In the evening the Newars usually have a feast called “Khuchi Bhoya” – Kuchi means 2 manas and Bhoya means feast.

We had lost someone in the family so we couldn't celebrate any of the festivals in Bada Dashain this year. Well may be next year we will. My dad is in his older age now and I think soon he will need hair restoration but well old age surely bring back his memories of all those Dashain and I love hearing about them each year.

Happy Khuchi Bhoya to all the Newari People!

Fulpati 2007

After Ghatasthapana, Fulpati is celebrated as one of the major days of dashain. Fulpati lies on the seventh day of the bright half of the lunar calendar in the month of Ashwin or Asoj and this year year it lied on 18th of October, 2007. On this day, the Fulpati or the jamara for Royal families is carried on foot by the six attendants from the Magar community, a tribe known for their valour during war, from their ancestral Royal Gorkha palace to Rani Pokhari, Kathmandu, and in the evening they are taken to Royal Palace at Hanuman Dhoka along with a huge parade. This is a ritual that symbolises the conquest of the Kathmandu valley more than two centuries ago by the king's ancestor Prithvi Narayan Shah. The Fulpati, an offering of flowers and fruit, is blessed at the temple first. It is then taken to the palace to bring luck and long life to the royal family.

However, from this year, the tradition or the two-century old tradition is broken down and the holy offering went to the residence of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. From this year, the Prime Minister has taken over the king's social and religious roles after the fall of the royal government last year, as he is believed to be ruling the nation and not the king.

Ghatasthapana 2007

Ghatasthapana is the celebrated as the first day of the greatest festival of Nepal, Bada Dashain. The “Navaratri Parba” or the night nights festival of Bada Dashain also commences on the same day. The day lies on the first day of the bright half of the lunar calendar in the month of Ashwin or Asoj. This year it lied on 12th of October, 2007.

On the day of Ghatasthapana, all Nepalese worship Diyo (an oil-fed lamp), Kalas (auspicious jar), and Lord Ganesh, and the most of the people sow maize and barley seeds in a jar filled with soil which is brought from the river mostly containing sand and cow dung for germination of the auspicious Jamara (barley shoots). From today, prayers are offered to goddess Mahakali, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati at the Dasain Ghar, and to all the Durga Bhawani goddess around the city, marking the beginning of the Navaratri. There are so many of shrines called Shaktipith where devotees will visit and offer their homage this dashain. Some of the main shrines are Naxal Bhagawati, Shobha Bhagawati, Maitidevi, Guheswori, Bhadrakali, Kalikasthan, Sankata, Mahankalsthan, Naradevi, Bijayeswori, Indrayani, Dakshinkali, Chamunda, etc.

A lot will be happening from today for the next 15 days. Each day has its own importance and values. I will try to review the each day and try to find out the main happening thing each day and importance of the day from hereforth. For now, it is Ghatasthapana, the first day of the greatest festival that happens on the Bada Dashain.

Dashain Festival 2007 Ends From Today

One of the greatest festivals in Nepal, Bada Dashain, will end today. I haven't been around to cover up the story behind the each day of those 15 days of Dashain but I will soon write about my experience with all the stories behind the most important festival that happens once a year and celebrated for whole 15 days. All the schools, colleges, and government offices remain closed for these 15 days.

Today is the last day and with it all the festivals spirit ending and people will now turn back to their work and daily lives. I am sure most of the people even going abroad have come back for this great festival and they have been with their families and enjoying their precious moment together.

I hope Goddess Durga will give me blessing and may be sooner I will be in those billionaire's list. Well I know I am asking but I love visiting Lindemann and Family page in wikipedia and viewing the billionaire list. So I am just praying hard to the Goddess Durga.

Happy Dashain to all of the Nepali people around the world!

Balaju Park (Bais Dhara Balaju)

Few decades ago, Balaju was not as beautiful as it is right now. It used to be just a village and not it has turned into a beautiful park, and there is quite dense population these days. You can get a tempo, microbus, bus, or even a taxi if you want a fast traveling with little more fare from National Theatre, Jamal. Well even if you like walking, within an hour, you will reach the destination as it is situated close to the outskirts of the northern side of Kathmandu. The industrial district around Balaju is the most important in the valley but it does not affect the quiet surroundings of the park in any way.

After you reach to the Balaju area, you will need to pay some cheap entrance fee to get inside the beautiful park. Lots of beautiful bamboos, trees, and varieties of flowers, ponds with fishes, and the twenty-two gushing waterspouts can be found inside the Balaju Park. The twenty-two gushing waterspouts also gave the park its name as “Bais dhara Balaju.” There is also a modern swimming pool where you can enjoy swimming in the sumer and a smaller image of the sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha.

In front of the sleeping Vishnu a small, typically Nepalese, temple is flanked by a row of Hindu images including elephant-headed Ganesh, Buddha protected by the hood of a serpent and Bhagwati. A stupa-like structure shelters a many-armed goddess, unusual in a Buddhist stupa, and an image of Harihar – half Vishnu and half Shiva. The hands on one side hold trishul, a symbol of Shiva (weapon), while on the other side the hands hold chakra (weapon) and sankha, the sympbols of Vishnu. There is also a small phallical-shaped linga surrounded by four pillars and an image of the bullock Nandi. The site is not more than three centuries old but makes an interesting visit due to this curious juxtaposition of Hindu deities.

Kakani

This village is situated on a ridge northwest of Kathmandu and offers good views of the western and central Himalayas. Although I personally prefer the view from Nagarkot, those interested in enjoying the variety of Himalayan scenery, especially magnificent views of Ganesh Himal, should go there. It is quieter than Nagarkot but the food available has less variety and caters less to western tastes. There is a lodge run by the Department of Tourism which has the cheapest prices for the rooms available there.

To get to Kakani is not that difficult as it is a short trip from Kathmandu Valley. You can take a bus or a minibus at Sorakhutte at Kaulethan about two hours from Kathmandu on the road to Trisuli. From thee it is about one hour’s walk along a dirt road to the top of the ridge. You can find lots of Kathmandu Valley people coming there in groups to have a nice day picnic as well. I am sure this would be one hell of experience for the nature lovers who mostly love the scenery of the great Himalayas and beautiful hills seen from Kakani.

Newari Food - Mana Choyela And Its Recipe

Choyela is being popular among all people. There are two types of choyela; haku choyela (roasted choyela) and mana choyela (boiled choyela). In the ancient period, only Newari people used to take choyela as their delicacy. It is made up of buffalo meat. I too belong to a Newar family so I love having lots of choyela since my childhood. We have to celebrate guthi bhoj (guthi feast) once a year, and choyela is one of the most important food items in those feasts.

Do you want to how know to make choyela?

Today I am going to give the recipe of making choyela so that you can try and make it at your own home and taste what we Newars have as out one of the best delicacy.

First of all, you need the basic ingredient, buff meat, salt, red chili powder, garlic paste, ginger paste, jeera powder, methi, some mustard oil, and green dhania. Second, boil the buffalo meat for half an hour then cut it into small pieces and put some salt and chili powder according to your taste. You can put some jeera powder, garlic paste, ginger paste, and mash it for few minutes. Heat the mustard oil and put some methi over the oil. When the methi changes its color from brown to black, you can put the oil including methi into the choyela. Put some dhania for decoration and taste in the choyela, and then your choyela is ready to eat.

I hope you will enjoy this delicacy that we have been enjoying over many years. If you want any questions about the recipe you can always comment and ask for more details.

High Quality Stock Footage Video

I have always wondered how does the most of the documentaries, those movies, and lots of television products and other advertising agencies have made such a wonderful high quality videos. Well they must have used the traditional way of hiring professional cinematographers and sent them to the field. Well often there comes a time when you need an urgent video and I am sure most of the companies would not keep any stock footage video as a backup. In such case, you need someone who has the best professional stock footage. I have found out that AlwaysHD.com represents such professional stock footage industry.

AlwaysHD has gathered a lot of talented cinematographers and the many producers around the world into the same platform. They market High definition footage to production companies, such as advertising agencies, broadcast television studios, documentary producers, independent filmmakers, and cinema studios on behalf of its contributing cinematographers. The contributing cinematographers would then receive revenue when their footage sells. When you buy the footage, they are sold royalty free, so that you can use it worldwide for any length of time without any limitation.

Dyochhen

In the ancient times, the activities of gods and goddesses were interlinked with human being, and somehow resembled too. Like normal people, they attended jatras, attended cultural functions, accepted offerings, and lived in a house. For every individual activity, human society created separate spaces for god whom they respected the most. House created for god and goddesses were named as dyochhen where dyo means god and chhen means house. Dyochhen existed in the society from earlier period in Kathmandu Valley, and it is thought that the "devakula" represented "dyochhen" and "digvara" represented "pigan"-"peeth".

In Malla period, "Gvara" represented "peeth". This word dyochhen exists till now though there is no longer the practice of constructing them in Nepal. This might be the reason why books that categories Nepalese temples often forget to include "dyochhen." I think the government should look upon these ancient monuments and try to preserve them as it is one of our national treasures.

Dhunge Dhara

Dhunge dhara is among the magnificent pieces of art that embellish our cultural heritage. Over the centuries, Kathmandu Valley has continually witnessed the constant evolution of numerous religious and monumental buildings that punctuate the public space, providing diverse from and scale, pervading every aspect of life. Dhunge dharas are also no exception.

Its occurrence in Nepal cannot be dated precisely. Many dharas are found to be of Lichhavi period, which reveals that this has been our culture since centuries. Though, over the period of time its basic form has remained relatively unchanged, different terms have been used to represent it. In early Lichhaivi period, it was called “kriti” and it was called “pranali” in the late Lichhavi period. From Malla period onward, it was called “hiti”. Dhunge dhara are the means of water supply in the ancient time. A typical dhunge dhara is called hitigah in Newari language.

Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath is the most famous temple in Nepal and is located on the route to Boudhanath. Although non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple, you can cross the Bagmati River and view the temple from the hill on the other side. Near the entrance you will see many people selling flower,s incense, and other offerings to be made to the deity. Inside is the golden pagoda and on the river banks you can sometimes see dead bodies being cremated on platforms. The Bagmati is a holy river and there is a burning ghat.

Pashupati means Lord of the Animals and nath means god. Pashupatinath is supposed to represent Shiva and the black image inside the temple has four heads. The temple itself is about three centuries old. It was renovated when the previous structure became decrepit. The idol is 600 years old, an earlier one was broken by Moslem invaders in the 14th century.

The big bull, Shiva’s animal (ride), inside the temple was built in the last century. The small bull in front of the temple is about three centuries old. The best time for visiting the temples is on Ekadashi, a day which occurs twice a day each month, 11th day of the full and new moon. On those days, there will be many pilgrims and a special ceremony in the evening called Arati characterized by the ringing of bells. There many also will be devotional music and illuminations. In the month of February, there is a big fair at the temple to celebrate Shiva’s birthday and another fair takes place in November.

Oldest Museum Of Nepal

The Nepal museum, which is one of the oldest museum of Nepal, is close to Swayambhu, and slightly to the south, a convenient visit on the way back to the city. The museum is open from 10:15 to 15:30 in the winder and from 10:30 to 16:30 in the summer. The new building contains many beautiful carvings in wood and some especially interesting bronze idols. The old building illustrates recent Nepalese history with the uniforms and weapons of Nepalese soldiers and generals from the past centuries. A sword with Napoleon presented to a Nepalese Prime Minister and leather cannons captured during the war with Tibet in 1856 are particular attractions.

I haven’t been in the museum for over a decade or so. I even have lost the memories of the things inside in detail. I will surely be going there someday and have more details published. So until then please have some patience and wait for the moment till you read more about Nepal’s oldest and valuable museum.

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The Most I Like About Indrajatra

There are so many things happening around the Indrajatra festival. There are lots of values of this festival and lots of customs and traditions are there which just is breathtaking to watch and experience every year. There are so many gods and goddess displayed around the festival. Besides Kumari chariot, the first and my favorite would be Pulukishi. It is considered as an image of Lord Ganesh. A big basket made out of the bamboo is covered with a cloth and a big mask of Ganesh will be put as the head of the Pulukishi. It would mostly look like a elephant toy. This is the main attraction of the festival and throughout the festival it roams around houses and shops asking for the homage and gifts.

Other attractions are the Lakhes demonstrated on this festival. A person wearing a mask of a terrified feature is considered a Lakhe. It is believed that in ancient ages, these Lakhe were in real existence. The main attractive and most happening lakhe is Maipa Lakhe of Maipat. It has the most horrifying mask and considered as one of the most active Lakhe during this festival. Other most popular Lakhe is Shovavaku Lakhe which is often called Jhin-nali-sintang as the Lakhe has a music band in front of it which plays the same tune which sounds like Jhin-nali-sintang.

Other demonstration is Swet Bhairav (White Bhairav). It is situated at Hanuman Dhoka. It is hidden behind the lattice work on the temple wall. The lattice is only opened once a year throughout the Indrajatra.

Lots of other features are there in Indrajatra, and this is one of the most amazing and wonderful festival of the Kathmandu Valley.

Indrajatra 2007

Indrajatra started on from 24th of September and ended on 30th of September. With the installment of the Yashi, the Indrajatra started in Kathmandu Valley. The main action of the Indrajatra is the chariot procession of three Gods, Ganesh, Velu, and Goddess Kumari. The main attraction and importance is given to the Goddess Kumari in this festival.

On the first day, the chariots are being pulled by hundreds of people through the places namely, Basantapur, Maru, Jaisideval, Lagan, back to Jaisideval and Bhimsensthan, and back to Maru and finally rested at Basantapur where it started.

The second day, the chariots have its journey from Basantapur, Pyafal, Naradevi, Tengal, Bangemuda, Bhedasingh, Indrachowk, Hanuman Dhoka, and back to Basantapur.

After the second day there is no chariot journey for three days. On the fourth day, the final third journey begins from Basantapur, Pyafal, Naradevi, then Kilagal, Bhedasingh, Indrachowk, Hanuman Dhoka, and then finally to Basantapur.

The first and the last day, our King (ruler of the Nepal) used to visit and have the tika from Kumari. But since the republic democracy has been established in Nepal, the Prime Minister attended the ceremony in the place of the king this year. I don’t know if this is the right thing to do as there is a history where in the recent past whith dates back at least two centuries to the last Malla King of Kathmandu, Jayaprakash Malla. He once had intercourse with a pre-pubescent girl and as a result the young girl later died. The king was then told in his dreams to start the institution of the Kumari, worship her and once each year convey her around Kathmandu as penance for his sins. The institution may have existed even earlier and only the custom of the Kumari visiting the city by chariot started at this time. The last Malla king of Kathmandu was defeated on the day of the Kurari festival (Indrajatra) and the first king of the present Shah dynasty received his blessing on that same day as was customary which has now been broken as this year the Prime Minister received the blessings instead of the king.

Anyway, the Indrajatra finally ended after the procession of the chariot was completed, and the installed Yashi was put down and dragged to the Bagmati River.

Choosing Goddess Kumari For Kumari Festival

Kumari means basically virgin pre-pubescent girl in English. The Kumari of Kumari festival of Kathmandu is not born a goddess nor does she remain one all her life. She is always chosen from a caste of Newar goldsmiths (Bajracharya and Shakyas) and is usually about five years old, it is essential that she has never been hurt of shed blood. After careful screening by a number of people including the astrologer, the selected candidates, about 10 in number, are locked in a dark room where fearful-looking masks and freshly slaughtered buffalo heads are kept. Frightening noises are made from outside and the girl who shows least fear is selected. She is installed on her throne, in the same room where she lives, during the Dashain festival and the spirit of the goddess is said to enter her body after this ceremony. As soon as she reaches puberty, the Kumari becomes human once more and a new goddess must be chosen.

Some Tips For Travel Safety

I found this interesting topic in one of my magazine collection where the author has described some tips for travel safety. I thought this would be a perfect post for this travel blog of mine and would help my readers out there.

Some tips to give students/youths when traveling:

1. When off a coach bus, know how to contact the driver in case of emergency.
2. If you wear contact lenses, bring glasses for the airplane. The recycled air can dry out your eyes and make you uncomfortable.
3. In a hotel, refuse any unexpected deliveries to your room.
4. Never enter a room if it is unlocked or if you are alone and someone is following you before entering.
5. Keep any medication near your toothbrush as a reminder to take it when you brush.
6. While touring, use only authorized agents when exchanging money to avoid violating local news.
7. Keep a small amount of money in your pocket to pay for small purchases so you don’t have to open your wallet in a busy place.
8. Travel with a partner at all times and don’t stray from the group on your own.
9. Resist the temptation to buy food from street vendors.
10. In some countries, you can be detained for photographing such as police and government buildings. If you are in doubt, ask permission before taking photographs.

Budhanilkantha

The image of “sleeping Vishnu” at Budhanilkatha is probably the largest reclining image of Vishnu in the world. To get there you can take a bus or alternatively you can travel by microbus or tempo through Bansbari, the site of a shoe and leather factory set up with Chinese assistance, and walk in about an hour. The energetic could walk all the way from downtown Kathmandu in a couple of hours or, best of all, ride by bicycle.

Vishnu, sleeping on a bed of snakes, is supposed to have been carved from stone in the 11th century. According to legend Vishnu sleeps continuously for four months of each year, failing asleep with the beginning of the monsoon and awaking when it is over. Each November thousands of pilgrims come here for a big fair on the day he is supposed to wake up. The name Budhanilkantha has nothing to do with Buddha.

Another legend tells of the discovery of the image. A farmer was tilling his field one day and was terrified to find blood coming from the ground at the spot where his plough struck something. An excavation revealed the beautiful image of sleeping Vishnu.

Prayers take place here every morning around 9 am but the kings of Nepal are never allowed to go near the image. Should the king, who is himself supposed to be an incarnation of Vishnu, gaze upon his own image, it is said that he would be cursed. A smaller replica of the image has, therefore, been constructed near the swimming pool at Balaju for the king to visit if he desires. There is also a school, built with British assistance, near Budhanilkantha – it is expected to become the best school in Nepal.

Chobar Gorge

According to legend, when the valley was a lake and Swayambhu an island Manjushree, the god of wisdom, struck the rock at Chobar with his sword and released the valley’s water. With the water thousands of snakes are supposed to have been swept out of the valley – leaving behind the snake king Karkotak who still lives close to the gorge in a pond called Taudaha. The Chobar Gorge is conveniently visited en route to Dakshinkali and the beautiful temple of Pharping can also be included on the trip.

Close to the spectacular gorge is the first cement factory in the valley which has been closed now. These days the most attractive part of the Chobar has been the beautiful hill that has been crowded by couples passing their secret time there. You will also find a lot of groups of people coming for a picnic as well as the place is so close to the valley and has a spectacular view of green hills around. I myself have been there with my friends in some Saturday evenings where we enjoyed the trip and some dry foods with some drinks as well. The wind blowing through our body and the spectacular view will win anyone’s heart there.

Gokarna And Sundarijal

A pleasant couple of hours walk in the vicinity of the Boudanath stupa will take us to the old Newar village of Gokarna, north of the Royal Game Reserve From Bouthnath take the road towards the reserve and turn left on to a dirt road after twenty minutes. Another twenty minutes’ walk will bring you to the beautiful three-storied temple of Shiva called Gokarneswor, Lord of Gokarna. The courtyard has an incredible collection of stone statues of deities from Hindu mythology such as Narad, Surya the Sun God, Chandra the Moon God, Kamadeva the God of Love besides the more conventional images of Shiva and Vishnu. Although they are probably only about a century old I have never seen such a collection in one place in Nepal.

After visiting the temple you can walk up to the village which is inhabited entirely by Newars and is surrounded by the game reserve on the three sides. Although the village is so close to Kathmandu the villagers are very poor and many do not even speak Nepali. There are deer, monkeys, and peacocks in the game reserve. It is a popular picnic spot for the people of Kathmandu and there is some entrance fee to enter the premises as well.

Further down the road are the waterfalls of Sundarijal at the edge of the valley; a pleasant bicycle ride down quiet roads.

Neeti’s India Visit - Mumbai

The best thing in Mumbai was the Water Kingdom. We stayed in Mumbai just for two night and one day. This is the reason why we opted for going to water kingdom and not to the Essel World. The water kingdom has a 45 degree and a 90 degree slide. I had slided in the 90 degree slide and almost lost my breath. It was so scary. I felt like a little kid for some time. Then I enjoyed the other rides like the Black Demon, a slide which was dark but finally I wasn’t scared. Then we rode bumpy rides sitting on huge air tubes of one and pairs as well. All in all, water kingdom was hilarious and tiring at the end. I had a nice sleep that night.

Next day in the morning we went to shopping in the fashion street. I was surprised to see the level of bargaining we could handle in the fashion street. If they said a t-shirt was of Rs 500 we could casually start our bargain with Rs. 150 and finally buy the stuff in Rs. 250. Well I had shopped mostly in Mumbai and was happy I did that.

Finally, from Mumbai we had to catch a connecting train to Lucknow to return back to Nepal.

Neeti’s India Visit - Goa

Goa was a splendid place with the sea and the friends I had been with. We lodged in the southern part of Goa which is quiet. Goa was fun. We went for cycling and enjoyed the roads of Goa with colorful tourists around. The northern part of Goa is livelier and is filled with youngsters. We had dinner in Bagha beach and rushed to Teetos to enjoy the nightlife. In the southern part of Goa, we visited the Fort Aguda and Rocky Beach. Both the places were remarkable. The cruise ride of Goa was entertaining.

Let me not forget to include the water sports that we enjoyed in the beach. Paragliding, banana ride, motor boat, and early morning boating. I just did not want to return back from Goa.

We also went to the café coffee day of the place whose coffee and pastries were mouthwatering. Luckily our last night in Goa was the 14th of February, Valentines’ Day. In the last night we had camp fire, drinks, and open floor dance arranged by the small restaurant near the hotel we lodged in.

Finally, it is not that easy to explain the flood of emotions shared with my friends and with Goa’s enormous beauty. This trip to Goa will be cherished by me today and always.

Neeti’s India Visit – Bangalore

Bangalore, currently known as the city of information technology is a place with mild weather in the day and cools in the evening.

We lodged in Mayur Deluxe Lodge residing in Balepet Square. The lodge was quite congested with narrow corridors. As soon as I reached Bangalore I gave a call to my cousin who stays there. She was a great help to my pals as she guided them to shopping malls and other areas where they could find stuffs cheaper. Then I went to meet my aunt who had cooked delicious dinner for me.

The next day we went to Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace. The palace is made up of teak wood which is supposed to stay cool throughout summer. The place had some stolen memories of Tipu Sultan and his ancestors. The palace is colored black and golden and has some vibrancies that pulls you to stay longer. Later on the day we went to Lal Bagh botanical garden. The garden was huge and had fountains all around. There was a green room also. It was an exercise on the trip walking on the passages of the botanical garden.

We also went to the science museum of Bangalore. The museum was also huge and due to time lagging behind we could not comprehend the place to the fullest.

We left Bangalore soon after we visited the museum for Goa. Since, we had very less time we skipped the fountain show of Bangalore. It was a remarkable trip to Bangalore.

Neeti’s India Visit – Hyderabad

Hyderabad was a warm place with lots of posters in the city of movies. They were so huge that one could easily say that the people who resided there loved to watch movies of their local language.

We went to The Cyber Towers. It was an educational and inspiring presentation and speech given by one of the IT heads of the companies working in Cyber Towers. We had our breakfast in the restaurant of Cyber Towers. The break fast was delicious. Later we went to the the Ramoji Film Studio. The Studio was enormous with more than 50 spacious gardens and fountains. The studio also had an adventurous section where we did artificial bungee jumping, trekking, climbing, and sliding. The studio also had a room with artificial rain theme where we danced for some time. Ramoji Film Studio also has an amuzement park and a place to shop around. One of my friends sister guided us to Ramoji Film Studio. We also visited Char Minar in Hyderabad. Char Minar was a crowdie place and we were warned to double check our pockets time to time.

We had also visited the Lumbini Park of Hyberabad. The sea was calm and it was a refreshing when we bowed our heads before the statue of Lord Buddha standing in the center of the sea. We also enjoyed a 45 minute show of musical fountains as a laser show of the most attractive and important aspects of the people of Hyderabad.

We did a lot of shopping pearls in Hyderabad. The friend’s sister took us to a shop which we could rely on and the pearls were worth spending on.

The trip to Hyderabad was full of essence and the most diversified place we visited in our IT tour to India.

Neeti’s India Visit - Agra

Agra, the place where the mystic that is in the seventh wonder of the world, Taj Mahal, stands was about two hours from New Delhi.

We had to walk for fifteen minutes to the place where Taj Mahal stands. This was to protect Taj Mahal from pollution. The maintenance department has put deliberate effort to repair its surroundings. We could see rickshaws all over the place that does not need fuel.

I was seeing Taj Mahal for the second time and believe me I felt as tough it was my first trip to the place. This huge creation took my heart like it took when I saw it for the first time. I had a crush on the antique piece standing in front of me. My friends and I enjoyed the story of the Taj Mahal’s making and the true love behind its making. The guide told us in a very interesting way the history behind Taj Mahal.

We clicked a class photograph hiring a photographer. These photographer have an album with them to market their skills in front of the tourists.

It was late when we left from Agra. We did dinner in a road side dhaba where food was simple and stomach filling.

Neeti’s India Visit - New Delhi

I have never been to India as of now. The closest I have been near India is at Rakshwal which is a part of India near the Nepal-India border at Birjung, Nepal. I was chatting once again with my dearest friend, Neeti Agrawal. She then have an idea about sharing me her experience about her India Tour. She wrote this post to share her tour to me and my readers. I hope everyone enjoys it with Neeti.

The day I reached to New Delhi with my friends, it had cold weather. We had lodged in the Hotel Crown Continental in New Rohtak Road. We had not reached on the check in time so we had to wait in the waiting room for two hours. We were already tired of the journey from Nepal to India by road. As soon as we got the rooms, I called my sister who was studying in Delhi to meet me.

My friends went on the Café coffee day, the metro of New Delhi, and did some shopping, whereas I went with my sister at my uncle’s place to meet them. We went for a movie and then for the dinner in the same mall. Later in the evening, when I met my friends, we shared our activities of the day and I realized that I missed some beautiful moments with them and they as well missed the movie I saw with my uncle’s family. Still, I decided to not to leave my friends ahead in the trip.

The next day in the morning we had a minor clash with our tour operator since he was not happy with our attitude of doing things on our own. After we sorted out the things with him, we left New Delhi to visit Agra. We returned from Agra in the late eve.

The next day we visited the LaxmiNarayan Temple. The temple was very soothing on the trip. It was the day of Shivaratri. Then we went to Raj Ghat. This is the place where important politicians’ and legends’ memories are engraved after their demise. We had seen Late Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi’s visions and accomplishments engraved there. A tour to be remembered throughout my life was the trip to Raj Ghat. We went to visit India Gate and Lotus Temple. Lotus Temple was huge and again the architecture it had was just out of question. The place was had good crowd of tourists but it was still quiet.

New Delhi is no doubt the place Indians are proud of. Delhi was a place to be remembered and a place with lots of things in particular.

Mahabaudha Temple Of Patan

The temple of thousands Buddha is about ten-minute walk from south of durbar square. It is slightly out of the way and you can have to ask directions as it is located in a courtyard surrounded by buildings and not easily visible despite its height originally constructed in 14th century, the terracotta, the Indian style was severely damaged in 1934 earthquake and later rebuild. Each of the bricks in the building contains an image of Buddha. Inside there is a shrine dedicated to Maya Devi, the mother of Buddha. It is said that this temple is similar to one in Boudhagaya where Buddha was enlighten. You can climb the buildings around the courtyard to photograph the temple and obtain a fine view over the rooftops of Patan.

Some Useful Nepali Words

Usual Words

English	Nepali
How much?	Kati
Less	Kum
Where?	Kata?
OK	Theek
Thank you	Dhanyabad
More	Badhi
Little bit	Alikati
That’s enough	Pugyo
I do not have	Chaina
Good, pretty	Ramro
Here	Yaha
There	Tyaha
Give me	Malai dinos
Today	Aaja
Yesterday	Hijo
Tomorrow	Voli
Stamp	Ticket or stamp
Envelope	Kham
Money	Paisa

On the trail:

Way, trail	Bato
Bridge	Pool
Descent	Oralo
Ascent	Ukalo
Left	Baya
Right	Daya
Cold	Jado
Wait a minute	Ek chin parkhanos
I like this	Malai yo ramro lagyo
I do not like this	Malai yo ramro lagena
Where is the market?	Bazaar kata parcha?
Where is the road to ______?	______ jane bato kata parcha?
I do not feel good	Malai sancho chaina
Is there a village nearby?	Najikai gaun parcha?
Where is the porter?	Bhariya kata gayo?
Please give me tea	Kripaya malai chiya dinos
I want to sleep	Malai sutna mann lagyo

Languages In Nepal

Over the past few decades, the literacy of Nepali people have reached to quite good level. Though the village areas are yet to have literacy awareness programs and most of them are still below the literacy level, the urban areas have over 90% of the people literate. Since the schools have English as a compulsory subject, most of the Nepalese people do tend to speak the universal language in Nepal.

The national language of Nepal is Nepali language, often called Nepalese language. The grammar of the Nepali language is quite similar to the Sanskrit language. The Nepali language is not so hard to learn but it is too difficult to master as well. I guess this happens to most of the languages in the world. Nepal has lots of ethnic groups and most of the Nepalese ethnic groups speak their own language. The Kathmandu Valley has been ruled by Newars and the basic natives are Newari people who speak Nepal Bhasa language often called Newari language. The other distinct languages are spoken by the Gurungs, Magars, Rais, Limbus, Tamangs, and Sherpas. In the Teria, Hindi and Maithili are widely spoken and understood.

If you are a tourist, and although learning a few words of Nepal is a good idea and widely appreciated, there is one word every visitor should learn – “Namaste.” This universal Nepalese greeting translates literally as “I salute all divine qualities in you: but it is used as “hello, how are you, pleased to meet you, see you again” and generally a nice thing to say.

Blister Prevention For Hikers And Trekkers

Lots of tourists come to Nepal every year around. The main reason behind it is mainly trekking and hiking in the beautiful Himalayas and the breathtaking scenario of the hills we have in Nepal. This has become some kind of a sports these days where it includes a lot of walking. When it comes to walking, there comes a painful foot problem. I am talking about the blisters you have due to excessive walking. Well we have lots of antiseptics but we never seem to have the prevention for it.

Today I just found a site which deals with Blister Prevention. I thought this might help all the trekkers and hikers and all the sports lovers who have blister problem, so I thought I writing this post about Blister Prevention. From Minneapolis, MN, a company called Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc. has manufactured ENGO® Blister Prevention Patches. They have been absolutely phenomenal over the past and have gained a popularity in terms of blisters and its prevention. Their product has effectiveness at preventing blisters and relieving blister pain, ease of use, price, and a variety of other characteristics. That’s why they their ENGO® patches have been awarded the National Health & Wellness Club (NHWC) Seal of Approval. So I suggest if you too are having blister problems be sure to have their blister prevention patches. Visit goengo.com for more information about how to get your patches.

Indrajatra 2007 Begins

There are lots of festivals happening around the year for the Hindu people in Nepal. It seems like everyday there is a festival in the name of some gods. I don’t know may be that I am from Newar group I feel as we have most of the feasts going on than any other tribes. But today, 24th of September, 2007, has a special importance if you are in Kathmandu. From a week before you will start Newari people going on for their music band practice. Lots of masked features, namely Lakhes, are out to brighten up the festival which is going to start today. It is called Indrajatra, where Indra means Lord of Heaven and jatra means festival, who is worshipped as God of Rain.

The fields have been planted with crops, the monsoon is in the ending process, and the season for harvesting is coming up. This is the beginning of the best season of the year, which lasts for two months. So this is the time when people worship the god of rain, Indra.

Today is considered as the first day of Indrajatra. The big wooden log which was brought from Sallaghari, Bhaktapur, is installed in front of the Kaal Bhairab at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square today. This symbolize that the festival, Indrajatra, is in the air. This wooden log is called Yashi in Newari language. The beginning and the end of the Indrajatra is symbolized by this wooden log. The installment symbolizes the beginning and after the festival it is put down and dragged into the Bagmati river, which symbolizes the end of the festival. The place at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square today is crowded with people who watch the installment of the log on that place. The log stands upright till the festival is in the air.

Gaura

I haven’t heard of this festival as of yet but it is in existence. It’s called Gaura. It is celebrated right after Biswokarma Puja. I read in one of the old magazines about it. I tried to find it out but was unable to find much detail. I only got out some parts of the magazines which I am trying to review today. Nepal really has various customs and tradition as it is a place where lots of groups and castes of people live in. So there are so many numerous amounts of festivals that it seems quite difficult to get all account of.

Speaking of Gaura festival, as written in the magazine, it is one of the most important Hindu festivals celebrated in the far western region of Nepal. It is observed by married women, and the ceremonies extend from the fifth to the eighth day of the bright lunar fortnight also called Astami in Nepali. During the festival, the women worship various deities and make ritual offerings to those deities. Devotees pay homage to Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati and seek their blessings.

Biswokarma Puja

In Hinduism, Biswokarma God is considered to be the god which possess all the craftsmanship and provides us the blessing of being a good and perfect craftsmanship. As you might have known that in Hinduism, there are 330,000,000 gods and everyone has a different values and respect and blessings to offer. So there is a day for each deity when they are worshipped and given special attention. The seventh day of the bright lunar fortnight is considered as the day for Biswokarma God. According to Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on 18th of September this year (2007).

Mostly people living in terai seems to celebrate this occasion more often than the people in hilly or Himalayan region. The people will just gather around to the statue of the Lord Biswokarma which they have made over the past and they would just sing and dance throughout the day. At end of the festival the statue is put down on the river which indicates the end of the festival. Mostly the Indians and terai people seem to make the statue of gods and then at the end of the festival they put down the statue in the river in most of the festivals.

Chatha (Ganesh Chaturthi)

Another festival celebrated right before Rishipanchami is Ganesh Charturthi (chaturthi means the fourth day of the bright lunar fortnight). This year it was celebrated on 15th of September, 2007. The Hindu people worship Lord Ganesh this day. The newar of Kathmandu valley called it Chatha (meaning same as chaturthi in nepali – fourth day of the bright lunar fortnight). It is celebrated hugely in our neighbor country India as well. Devotees pay homage to Lord Ganesh at various temples of Ganesh.

In Kathmandu, there is one special tradition that is carried out this day. The seed of the pear eaten couple of months ago is preserved for this day. The seed is called bakshyapati in Nepali. It is worshipped as Lord Ganesh, as it has appearance of Ganesh (Ganesh has head of an elephant). So after the worshipping. The seed is crushed and inside another edible seed is taken out and it is eaten after it is fried as the form of prashad (offerings eaten by the devotees in the name of god in form of blessings) from Lord Ganesh.

Optional Extension Tour Of Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon)

I thought of excluding these tours but lots of my friends told me to include these parts of Bhaktapur as well as these places to have importance and I am sure anyone who are in Bhaktapur would never want to miss these places. So here is the review with the time span that is needed for visiting those places.

Extension Tour A:
Starting point: Durbar Square (30 minutes)
Take a small lane off Durbar Square to your right passing by typical to-day activities, continue until this lane bisects the main road. As you swing towards the left, you will pass the potters’ area where much of the activity – molding, baking, etc., - takes place in the street. Finally, passing by Talaku Math you will reach Taumadhi Square.

Extension Tour B:
Starting point: Dattatriya Square (45 minutes)
Continue through Dattatriya Square taking Bagiswori Lane. Pass Brahmayani Dyoche, Wakupati Narayan Temple, then the Navdurga Temple – traditional home of the Durga dancers, to Kwathaundau Pokhari, Kwathaundau Math, and as you approach the other entrance to Dattatriya Square, the Salan Ganesh Temple.

Extension Tour C:
Starting point Dattatriya Square (20 minutes)
Near the entrance to Dattatriya Square, as you enter, there is a lane off to your left. Following it, you will pass the Yachhe Ganesh Temple, Salan Ganesh Pokhari with Yache Ganesh Dyoche then Naag Pokhari, which will bring you to the main street near the Sukuldhoka Math.

A Perfect Tour of Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon)

I just found a page in my old magazine where they have maintained a plan of tour around Bhaktapur, formerly known as Bhadgaon, in a single page. I was thinking of writing a whole post about Bhaktapur, but was unsure if one post was enough for the whole tour. So this magazine will definitely help me to share the knowledge and guide my readers to Bhaktapur in just a single post to read.

Total time: 1.5 hours.
Starting point: Durbar Square

The “Golden Gate,” one of the Valley’s most extraordinary architectural masterpieces, built in 1754.

National Art Gallery houses Nepal’s finest collection of paintings also attached to it, exhibition of wood and stone carvings.

Palace of the 55 Windows, the former royal home of the Malla Kings has uniquely carved and decorated windows.

Temples:
Pashupati
Batsala
Radha
Krishna
Buddhist Vihar


Second stop: Taumadhi Square

Nyataola Temple built by King Bhuptindra in 1708 and dedicated to the tantric deity, Shiddhi Laxmi.

Bhairab Temple, three stories set on a rectangular base.

Narayan Temple with its beautiful carvings.

Aisamari Satal, this reconstructed building will house a modern restaurant catering to tourists.


Third stop: Sukaldhoka Square
This is one of the main local shopping areas where you can observe the daily life of the people.

Sukul dhoka Math in terms of wood carving and courtyard decoration is one of the most important Maths in Bhadgaon.


Fourth stop: Golmadhi Square

Golmadhi Hiti, a traditional stone tap.

Golmadhi Square has many examples of Newari architecture. Here too, you’ll find the hand-weaving center of Bhadgaon.


Fifth and Last stop: Dattatriya Square

Temples:
Dattatriya, a three-storied Rama-Shiva-Vishnu trinity temple built originally during the reign of Yaksha Malla in 1427.
Bhimsen Temple
Laxmi Narayan Temple
Pujahari Math with its beautifully carved peacock windows, now the office of the Baktapur Development Project.
Chikampa Math

Jangham Patti.

Taja Math, planned handicraft center.

Chikampha Math, 2nd floor exhibition hall.

Pujahari Math, 2nd floor will house a woodcarving museum.

Rishi Panchami 2007

Two days after Teej (16th of September) is considered the last day of the fasting. The day is called Rishi Panchami where Rishi means holy person and Panchami meaning fifth which means fifth day of the new moon or month. The day after Teej, women only eat salt once a day in a meal. Then the next day is Rishi Panchami, where women once again go for fasting. Mainly the married women come to Lord Rishikeshwor Mahadev near Teku to worship another form of Lord Shiva. The place is just 10-15 walk from my house. A long queue is formed from the early morning. This day is very important for the ladies who went on fasting on Teej as today is the last and final day of their fasting and after this day they will be having a regular diet.

Personally, I don’t like women doing fasting, especially who have problems with their health. These days, lots of women do faint on the queue or even at their homes due to this extensive fasting. Television and radios and other Medias have now been making aware to the women and asking them not to participate in those sorts of fasting activities where their health would get hampered. If there is no health how can they pray for their husband’s life? I still wonder why would people do these sorts of crazy things and end up in the hospital bed every year. I mostly blame the husbands who give permission to their wives to do such kind of act. I hope in future women and men will take consideration to this matter and not take part in any such harmful rituals and keep their body and health as their priority.

Teej 2007

Teej is one of the most important festival for women in Nepal. It carries a lot of importance and devotion of woman who celebrate this festival. The main attraction of this festival are dancing, folk songs, and mostly the red color of women’s wedding saris. This festival is often considered as Hindu festival of womanhood.

There is a history behind this festival. This day recalls the heavenly occasion when Parvati, daughter of the Himalaya, won the hand of Lord Shiva after severe meditation and fasting. So the woman believe that if they fast on this day and pray for the desired husband, they will get it with the grace of Lord Shiva and the women who are married believe if they do the fasting it will make their husband live longer.

The day before the teej, mothers send gifts of food and saris to their daughters’ houses. Groups of women gather together to celebrate and feast. The day is called Darr Khane Din (the eating day). So this day the women eat lots of delicious foods and prepare for the fasting next day. At midnight, the women begin a fast in emulation of Parvati. Lots of women don’t even drink water and fast for their husband and future husbands. Lots of women go to Pashupatinath temple to pray to Lord Shiva. The married ones pray and ask for a happy and productive marriage and a long life of their husbands, and those yet to tie the nuptial knot ask for a good husband as goddess Parvati did. The fasting ends by having water and food from the husbands the next day of the married women and non-married have it by their own. This year Teej was celebrated and 14th of September.

End of Gunla 2007

The day after Gokarna Aunsi (father’s day) is marked as the end of the Gunla for the year. This year it was on 12th of September. I was so busy with my own world and work that this year, I couldn’t be in Swayambhu for the first time in my life. Throughout my years, I have loved going to Swayambhu, and Gunla is the main festival where lots of people go to Swayambhu throughout the month. It is such a shame that I couldn’t manage a single day to visit Swayambhu this year. I had made plans for more than three to four times but due to my tight schedule; I just couldn’t go there this year. I had never thought that I would miss going there this year.

On the last day, a huge crowd will be gathered in Swayambhu throughout the day. Lots of people visit and pay their respect to goddess Harati Ma on this day and the days throughout the months. Throughout the month, lots of people will go there with their own musical bands with full devotion to the deity. Since this is the last day, most of the people will visit the place and you see the Swayambhu hill covered with people from a long distance today. You will see devotees coming and going from the hills throughout the way of Swayambhu. The crowd is just overwhelming and something different to experience. Too bad, I miss it this year. Well I cannot do anything then regret it and hope and pray that I wont miss it next year.

Gokarna Aunsi 2007 – Father’s Day In Nepal

Gokarna Aunsi is the father’s day celebrated in Nepal. Gokarna is a place nearby the Valley and Aunsi means dark moon. This year it was celebrated on 11th of September. We have a special way of celebrating this day. Sons and daughters offer ritual food, sweetmeats, and other gifts to their fathers. The streets are a happy scene of married daughters with loads of goodies making their way to their parent’s houses. Another scenario is the shops selling lots of sweet products. The shopkeeper extends their shops and display varieties of sweet products that sons and daughters offer to their father today.

The father’s day is performed by offering the gifts, and then sons and daughters adore their fathers by bowing to touch their feet with their foreheads. The ceremony is also known as “looking uopon father’s face” in our own language. Those whose fathers are no more mark the day by visiting Gokarna and other sacred spots and worshipping to the deities. There they perform anniversary rituals (sharadhya) in honor of their departed fathers and offer alms of rice, pulses, and coints to the priests and beggars as well.

Krishnastami 2007

In Hinduism, there are lots of them. Hard to believe but truth is that it is considered that there are 33 koti devata (330.000,000 Gods). According to the religion, every god has their own importance and have contributed something to the human being in someway. Most of the gods have their special day when they are specially worshipped. Lord Krishna, the dark god who taught warrior Ajuna the value of Karma in the Bhagwad Gita, was born at midnight on the eighth day of the dark moon of August (28th August this year). So that day is Lord Krishna’s day hence also called Janmastami (where Janma means birth and Astami means 8th day of the month).

The Krishna’s birthday is celebrated with lots of love and devotion by the devotees. Flocks of devotes gather around the Krishna Mandir at Patan Durbar Square on the preceding day. Krishna Mandir of Patan is a monument and was build on 17th century. So the men and women from gather around and sit in the vigil waiting for the midnight hour. Euphoric prayers and incantations fill the air, and small oil lamps are lit as a mark of felicitation and devotion to the deity. The Krishna Mandir will be full of devotees throughout the day where we can find lots of flocks coming and going on paying their respects and homage to the deity. Throughout the Kathmandu Valley, images of Lord Krishna are shown. Some of the images are carried around the city in the procession accompanied by joyous crowds of followers and musical bands.

Dhapasi

I have never been to Dhapasi before. I know it lies outside the Ring Road. So I think it is considered outside the valley, but I am quite unsure about it. One of my dearest friends, Jenisha, had once sent me an email explaining about Dhapasi. It was a gift for me from her to post in this blog of mine. According to her, this article was written to me by one of her friends. I will surely visit the place once and I will write my own review and write my own experience as well. But for the time being, here is what she had written about Dhapasi:

Even with a lot of new buildings being built everywhere, Dhapasi still remains popular for its private planned settlement areas. It owes that to a simple fact that Dhapasi is simply a prettier place to live in than other places like Baneshwor. Except the areas around the ring road, the inner parts are quiet, clean and green ideal for private settlements. These planning areas like, Dhapasi Heights, Shivapuri Planning etc also boost examples of beautiful architecture. The roads are so clean and quiet that it almost feels like Europe at times. Also there is a brand new housing area, Subha Homes, which is quite far from the noise of the city area and has beautiful houses.

With such exclusive places like Hotel Sahansha, Nature Club, Dhapasi is quite a happening place for the fitness buffs. One of the most useful benefits of living in Dhapasi is that it is quite near to one of the well-equipped hospitals, the Teaching Hospital of TU. Even the New Bus Park is quite nearby. Though the place is not much of a commercial centre, with places like Easy Mart, and British Gorkha Shopping Centre nearby people don’t need to go long way to do their shopping. There are so many places in Dhapasi where you can actually sit alone and watch the sun set, and seriously how many places are there where you can actually do that!

Gwaramari – My Breakfast

I don’t usually have heavy breakfast. Well not these days. While in my childhood, I used to have one pound of bread and a cup of tea and run to the school, and that would be my breakfast. For lunch, I would have Wai Wai (Nepal-made noodles) or may be biscuits, or Russian Bread (that’s what my dad calls it. It is made with egg, sugar, and pieces of bread, deeply fried in ghee). Well now all my schedules have changed. Nowadays, I have our Newari food item called Gwaramari. Gwaramari consists of two words, Gwara and mari where gwara means round shaped and mari means bread in Newari. It is made up of flour mixed with some baking powder (soda) and salt and then deeply fried in oil. The taste is just so awesome. It is best when you eat it when it is hot.

Early in the morning, my dad goes out for shopping and getting milk and other breakfast stuffs. For me, he usually brings gwaramari, as he knows I like it as my breakfast. Usually I am online at that time, and some of my friends are just dying to have some gwaramari but they can’t have it as it is not available in their area. Mostly Newari people bake it inside the Kathmandu Valley. Mostly Samir and Manik seems to be crazy for gwaramari as well but since it is not available at their area, they always keep on missing the taste. Lucky me, that I can have it daily, and it is available in lots of places around my house. Someday, I might invite them for gwaramari. The best gwaramari I ever tasted is from Bijeshwori. If anyone should come to Nepal, be sure to go for morning walk to Swayambhu, and nearby in the place called Bijeshwori, you will see one small restaurant where you will clearly see some people cooking gwaramari outside the restaurant. Be sure to have those gwaramari and experience the taste of it that you will never forget.

Nagarkot

Nagarkot is considered as a mini-trek promising a rewarding sunrise view of Mt. Everest and the Eastern Himalayan Range. The journey would basically include local transport to Bhaktapur and from there it is a three to four hours walk up to a place which is called Nagarkot. Accommodations and restaurant are easily available there, as it has been a popular place and lots of tourists as well as different groups of local people also visit the place quite often. On early mornings, before sunrise, you should wake up and make about 150 feet climb to the hillcrest from where you will experience a breathtaking and spectacular view as the morning sun rises, and one by one the mountain peak aglow with the spread that beautiful view you’d never forget.

Well that is what most people experience. I myself haven’t visited the place but I will be there some time for the New Year’s sunrise. Though the place will be crowded with lots of other visitors, I am sure with the heart and passion of viewing the beautiful sunrise, a dawn of New Year, it shall definitely be a worthwhile moment of my life. Till then, my journey to Nagarkot is still pending in my list.

Mata-ya 2007 (Festival Of Lights)

I haven't been following the regular blog posting for the days of the festivals these days as I have been mostly indoors these days. I have one of my best friends, Smreeti Nakarmi, who went to that festivals and I had asked her to write her own personal views of her journey to this procession. So here are the details that she send me of her procession of one of the most popular festival in Patan area called Mata-ya. It was on 31 August 2007 this year. Below are the details written by her own.

Mata-ya is derived from combination of two different words “Mata” which means light and “Yatra” means journey. According to the Nepali calendar, Mata-ya is celebrated on the month of Bhadra two days after Janai Purnima. Mata-ya is renown by Srinveri or Nekoo Jatra. Many people from different areas come to Patan to watch this festival whereas many worshipers come here to worship to different chaitya (Buddhist shrine) and chowk (Buddhist courtyard) as well.

I also went to Mata-ya this year. I really got the chance to visit Patan areas and four big chatyas of the Patan city. At about 4 a.m. me n my friends came out and went to a place called Nagbahal from where the queue begins with a big crowd to start the procession. I met lots of friends over there who were going for this long journey. I was so much excited that day. I walked 16 hours on that day. Mata-ya procession is carried out for the peace for our ancestors. Mata-ya is celebrated once a year so it is our popular festival of Patan city. There is a very interesting story about the origin of this festival. It goes like, once Shakyamuni Gautama was in deep penance to attain nirvana. The Maras, jealous of unique penance, appeared disgusting themselves in different forms to Buddha. Some of them were in fierce-looking demon and some in Apsara (angel) forms and so on. They made him every possible attempt to reduce him but all in vain. Eventually Shakyamuni Gautama overcame the Maras and Buddha became the enlighten one. Then every soon Maras come to confess their sins to Lord Buddha and worship him with great honor. In other to make this great day, as many believe this festival come in to existence. Everyone (devotees) offer kapur, butter, lamps, money, rice, grains, incense, foods, as they wish. Me and my friends offer kapur for every chaitya. Small children come their with a nanglo (a big round-shaped instrument, mostly used to filter stones from the raw rice) and we give them what we have to offer. Visiting four main chaitya and reaching to same destiny where we started will end Mata-ya of the year.

Gai Jatra 2007

It was Gai Jatra, one of the other interesting festival, on August 29 2007. This festival is celebrated in the memories of the lost family member during the last year. The word Gai Jatra came from two words Gai (which means Cow) and Jatra (festival). It is also called Saparu in Newari language. The whole city streets are crowded with the parade of the families who have lost a member during the past year parade in a decorated cow around the city. Most of the people send a cow from their house and those who can't find a cow will send their kids dressed up as cows or ascetics and walk in procession along the festival route. Cow has a special place in the Hinduism. It is respected as a god and mostly a given the respect as to a mother. So this day, it is believed that the sacred animal helps departed souls to cross the cosmic ocean in their journey into the after-world.





Humor is another side of the festival. Comic dramas and street shows making fun of government officials are performed. People also roam the city dressed up like lunatics. Newspapers bring out special "mad" editions. From ancient ages people are allowed to demonstrate any critics this day, even when autocracy ruled Nepal.

In Kathmandu, the bereaved families proceed alone the festival route individually whereas in Patan, the participants gather at Durbar Square and then move out together. In Kirtipur, the Jatra starts from the night. Almost every won't sleep at night and on the Gai Jatra night a buffalo is sacrificed outside the Bagh Bhairav Temple. So I felt the Jatra as if it was a night-time Jatra.


The celebration in Bhaktapur is the most interesting one and I personally prefer going there if you want to see the true demonstration of Gai Jatra where there are tall bamboo poles, wrapped in cloth, and toped with horns fashioned of straw are carried around the city in memory of the dead. It seems like the whole city is taking part and all the city streets will be filled with the parade. It might be due to the narrowed streets there but all the city streets are found full on that day.