Procession Route of Jana Baha Dyo

The chariot festival of Jana Baha Dyo (also called Seto Machhindranath or Amoghpasa Avalokiteshwor) falls on the eight day of the waxing moon in the last month of Vikram Sambat, i.e. Chaitra Shukla Astami.

It begins from Teendhara Pathshala in Jamal and ends at Lagan tole, where the Lord is believed to meet his mother, Maju Sima.

The chariot procession route of Jana Baha Dyo yatra is shown below:
View Jana Baha Dyo (Seto Machhindranath) Jatra Route in a larger map

 

Charya

Have you ever heard of Charya Dance?

Few might say YES.

Have you actually seen Charya Dance?

Most would say NO.

(It must be noted that Charya Dance practised as an art form and performed everywhere on stage are not actual Charya traditions. They do resemble Charya, but Charya are way different and secret rituals, popular among few tantric caste groups in Nepal and few in India and other parts of the globe.)

Here's one of the Charya type - Bhairav and Kali, dance directed by Yagya Man Shakya. (a performance-based dance, not a ritual type)

संस्कृति र सम्पदा क्षेत्रमा पहिलो नगर युवा स्वयंसेवी

साप्ताहिक अमलेख __________________________________

काठमाडैाँ, असार ३० गते शनिबार ।

काठमाडैाँ महानगरपालिका, सम्पदा शाखाले संस्कृति र सम्पदा क्षेत्रका लागि पहिलो युवा स्वयंसेवी समूहको तालिम शनिबार सम्पन्न गरेको छ ।

सम्पदामा युवा र बालबालिका (संयुवा) नामक यस स्वयंसेवी समूहले विशेषतः स्थानीय विद्यालयहरूमा गर्इ सम्पदा विषयक तालिम र समूह गठन गर्ने जिम्मेवारी रहेको आयोजक काठमाडैाँ महानगरपालिकाले जनाएको छ ।

चार दिने उक्त संयुवा स्वयंसेवीहरूका लागि टोली गठन सम्बन्धी तालिम कार्यक्रममा सहभागीहरूलार्इ सम्पदाको परिचय, वातावरण क्षेत्रमा युवावर्ग, स्वयंसेवाको परिचय, नेतृत्व विकास, सामूहिक कार्य, सञ्चार सीप, प्रस्तुतीकरण, सम्पदा संरक्षण लगायतका बारेमा तालिम दिइएको थियो ।

यो कार्यक्रम

आउँदा धेरै कार्यक्रमको सुरूवात हो ।

श्रृजु प्रधान, कार्यक्रम संयोजक

कार्यक्रममा "यःमरिया बाखँ " नामक डकुमेन्टीको प्रदर्शनी तथा पाटन दरबार क्षेत्र र हनुमानढोका दरबार क्षेत्रमा भ्रमण पनि समावेश थिए ।

सो तालिममा अधिकांश सहभागीहरू प्लस टुदेखि स्नातक तहका रहेका थिए । तालिमको समापन कार्यक्रमको सभापतित्व सम्पदा शाखाका प्रमुख इन्द्रमान सिंह सुवालले गर्नुभएको थियो । सो समापन समारोहमा काठमाडैाँ महानगरपालिकाका प्रमुख कार्यकारी अधिकृत केदारप्रसाद अधिकारीले सहभागीहरूलार्इ प्रमाणपत्र हस्तान्तरण गर्नुभएको थियो ।

कार्यक्रममा हनुमानढोका दरबार संग्रहालय विकास समितिका प्रमुख सरस्वती सिंह, पुरातत्व विभागका महानिर्देशक भेष नारायण दाहाल लगायतका महानुभावहरूको उपस्थिति रहेको थियो ।

सहभागीहरूले सो तालिम अत्यन्तै प्रभावकारी रहेको अनुभव सुनाएका थिए । त्यसैगरी, कार्यक्रम संयोजक श्रृजु प्रधानले सो कार्यक्रम आउँदा धेरै कार्यक्रमको सुरू भएको बताउनुभयो ।

मेरो प्यारो ओखलढुगा

कविता

युगकवि सिद्धिचरण श्रेष्ठ

***********

मेरो प्यारो ओखलढुगा

जब म चढेर भावको डुगा

शयर गर्छु स्मृतिको प्रिय गंगा

स्वप्न गगनबाट सुशीतल जल

सुख स्मृतिको बर्सन्छ रिमझिम

मेरो प्यारो ओखलढुगा

ती अबिरल ती परिश्रमी पतकर

द्रुतगामी निर्झरतुल्य चपल

भाग्य लहरमा लहरी लहरी

पुगें म यस मरुस्थलमा कसरी

मृग शावकहरू उफ्री उफ्री

तरु लतिकाहरू हल्ली हल्ली

मेरो प्यारो ओखलढुगा

Changu Narayan Kalash

Photo By : Prayas Dharananda Rajopadhyaya

Narasingha Jatra

Photo By : Abhas Dharananda Rajopadhyaya

Abhas D. Rajopadhyaya

Kathmandu, August 15.

The traditional Narsingh Yatra (procession) of Lalitpur has been observed this Tuesday. The procession is held by the person who gets the turn of the Upakarma Guthi, a religious undertaking of Rajopadhyaya Brahmans of the Kathmandu Valley.

In the procession, along with Narsingh, Laxmi and Saraswati were taken throughout the city. Starting from Gabahal, the procession went to Pimbahal, Ashok Hall, Palakhu, Kumbheshwor, Kobahal, Mangal Bazar, Sundhara, Ikubahal, Mahabouddha, Tangal, Tichhu Galli, Haugal, Ikhalakhu, Purnachandi and at the night, back again to Gabahal, where it ended.

According to the tradition of son-in-law of the person who gets the turn of the guthi to be made Narsingh, this time Dakshinkali-4 resident Suresh Rajopadhyaya became Narsingh, whereas Chikanmugal resident Saurabh and Prayas Dharananda Rajopadhyaya went throughout the procession as Laxmi and Sarswati respectively.

In the procession, the devotee Prahlad has to fold the hands in form of Namaste carrying a dhoop and walk from back, facing the God Narsingh.

The jatra was observed along with various traditional instruments, the hymn singers' team, six pairs of apsaras (heavenly angels) and other devotees.

The Upakarma Guthi's turns comes to the indigenous Rajopadhyaya Brahmins of the Kathmandu Valley, with each city hosting three different of such guthis. Lalitpur's Upakarma Guthi only observes the Narsingh Jatra on the Panchami (5th day) day between Gaijatra and Krishnastami in the Gula month of Nepal Sambat calendar. This year Gabahal resident Ekyananda Rajopadhyaya had his turn, and the next year Pyanga-Tha resident Tribikram Jwalananda Rajopadhyaya would have his.

Mehndi-mania on the first day of Shrawan

Photo By: Abhas Dharananda Rajopadhyaya

Abhas D Rajopadhyaya

Kathmandu, 16 July.

Ishu Shrestha had come all the way from Harisiddhi to Dharmapath to put mehndi on her hand. She was accompanied by two of her schoolmates, Aayusha Shrestha and Bandana Khanal, who chose low-cost simple designs. They were interested in this tradition of decorating their hands with mehndi.

Aayusha and Bandana believed that the darker the mark of mehndi, the more they get loved by their husband in the future. But Ishu had other ideas. She does not believe it.

They had put on mehndi on the occasion of Shrawan Sankranti – the first day of the fourth month of Bikram Sambat. "This is the day," says Laxmi Pokharel, Kathmandu, "when Goddess Parbati lured Mahadev decorating herself with ornaments." She adds shyly, "I put on mehndi to get more love from my husband."

"The tradition of putting on mehndi is now popular among the youths even," says Nisha Khatri, high school graduate from NIST College. Three girls from Trinity College had done it for fun. Afraid to tell their name lest breaking the college discipline, they had done it copying their friends studying elsewhere.

While the girls are following their tradition, the mehndi-decorating vendors are having their day. Suraj Giri, mehndi-decorator at New Road, says he earns thousand rupees per day and had once earned 1.5 lacs in the month of Shrawan. Working for over eight years in mehndi-design, he adds, "Many people prefer simple designs, while some rich-looking girls prefer the Arabian design or some other fancy ones." These designs cost from rupees 25 to even 25 hundred.

Ram Praves Kumar, a street-vendor of mehndi at Bagbazar, only earns 10-15 thousands in this month. Harindar Kumar, hailing from Ranganathpur, India, says, "There are more people in our profession and our earning is going down." He had decorated over a hundred hands till today afternoon and expects up to five hundred today.

A policewoman complains that the trend of tiuri use has been replaced by modern mehndi. Taking some time off her job to put on mehndi, she adds, "it is the first time that I have put on mehndi; otherwise I would have opted tiuri." She asserts that we need to even take hold of the better-one – the use of tiuri.