Festivals are important to any nation as it reflects and preserves the country’s lifestyle and culture. This holds the same for Nepal. Out of the many festivals celebrated in Nepal, Bisket Jatra is one of them. Learn more about the festival with this essay on Bisket Jatra.
Essay on Bisket Jatra
Nepal is a multicultural, multilingual, multi-racial country. As a result, there are many festivals being celebrated all over Nepal by different people of different backgrounds.
Bisket Jatra is a festival that holds significance to the Newari community in Bhaktapur. This is Bhaktapur’s biggest festival. Every year, Bisket Jatra is celebrated on the New Year of the Bikram Sambad calendar in the middle of spring. This festival starts on the 27th of Chaitra and ends on the 5th of Baisakh, lasting for eight nights and nine days. It starts five days before New Year and four days after it. According to legends, it is called the festival after the death of the serpent.
This festival is influential to the Newari people of Bhaktapur, but it is also celebrated by many people of different ethnic backgrounds. People all over Nepal and the world come to Bhaktapur to celebrate Bisket Jatra and enjoy the jolly atmosphere it brings with it. People believe that by going to Bhaktapur and celebrating the festivals, and worshiping the god Bhairav and goddess Bhadrakali, they can lead a happy and prosperous life after.
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According to a legend, King Jagajyoti Malla, King of the then Malla dynasty, heard about the story of the princess of Bhaktapur. Whoever married the princess was found to be dead the next day. Many people died until a young man decided to marry the princess. Goddess Bhadrakali advises the young man not to sleep on the day of his wedding. As the princess was asleep, the young man was awake. Later, two venomous snakes crawled out of the princess’s nose and attacked him. But the young man killed the snakes with his blade. As such, he rid the princess of the curse.
The King loved this story and wanted it to be remembered. So Bisket Jatra was celebrated.
Another such myth is that, when the Kirants attacked Bhaktapur, the king requested a tantric warrior to save them from the crisis. The warrior changed into the form of a tiger and chased away the Kirants. Later, his wife wanted to see him in a python form, so he gave rice grains to his wife to turn him into a python. When he did change, the wife got scared and ran away, and later she ate the rice, which turned her into a python. Realizing that they couldn’t change back into humans, they killed themselves. To honor them, the king erected a lingo.
On the day of the festival, the people of Bhaktapur all come outside on the streets to celebrate this festival. On the first day, the town is divided into two blocs, where they play tug of war for the chariot. If they win, they get to keep the chariot on their side of the town. On the following days, the people pray to the image of Bhairav inside the chariot. Some will also bring sacrifices like chicken or goat. Later on, the people lift a 25 meter long wooden pole called lyo sin dyo (lingo). And keep it down later on, symbolizing the downfall of the enemy. It is said that whoever sees the lingo lying down, their enemy will also face downfall.
The day after the New Year is Sindoor Jatra where people throw orange colors at each other. One person volunteers to pierce his tongue and then roam around the city with a pole. It is believed that that action will bring good luck to the people of Bhaktapur, and they don’t need to suffer from illness and natural disasters. On the final day of the festival, there is one last tug of war, and then the chariot is dismantled until next year.
This festival is more than a simple past tradition to the Newaris and people of Bhaktapur. It is a time of joyous occasion and shows their way of life. Many tourists from all over the world come to witness the grand festival and leave in awe. It is the festival that not only shows the deep history of Nepal but also tells about the people who celebrate it.
Hopefully, you’ve learned more through the essay on Bisket Jatra!