Jana Bahā Dyaḥ Jātrā ( ne, सेतो मच्छिन्द्रनाथको रथयात्रा) is the chariot procession of Jana Baha Dyah, the

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

Compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

, which is held annually in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

. It begins on the 8th day and ends on the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Chaulā (चौला), the sixth month in the lunar

Nepal Era Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 ...

calendar. The

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

deity is known in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

as Aryavalokitesvara (Sacred

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

), and also White Machhendranath or White Karunamaya and

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

by Chinese. It is believed that the annual procession was begun to provide the townspeople who were unable to visit his temple a sight of the image.

History

There is a tradition that the image of Jana Baha Dyah housed in the temple at Jana Baha, Kel Tol was retrieved from Jamal, hence the chariot procession starts from here. No one knows how far back the origin of the festival goes, though it is believed to have been started in the sixth century. Chronicles show that it was already well established in the 17th century. One of the Legends says that the Karunamaya was found in the fields by a Jyapu (farmer in Newa Community) at Jamal the exact spot where the Chariot is made.

The procession

During the festival, the image of Jana Bāhā Dyah is removed from his temple at Jana Baha and carried in a portable shrine to

Durbar Marg Durbar Marg or Durbarmarg ( ne, दरबारमार्ग; informally known as ''King's way'') is a broad, long avenue in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu. It can be considered the heart of the city, akin to the Champs Elysées and the chief ave ...

from where the actual procession starts. There it is installed in the car built in the shape of a tower on wheels. The chariot is 35 ft high. When the image is placed on the chariot, a group of musicians from the

Kansakar Kansakār () or Kasāh (कसाः) is a Nepalese caste group belonging to the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. In Sanskrit, Kansakar means bronze worker, and their traditional occupation has been metal working and trading. Toda ...

caste play a short fanfare on their long trumpets to announce the installation. At the same time, the Guruju Paltan, a ceremonial guard of honor consisting of soldiers dressed in ancient uniforms, performs a

feu de joie A feu de joie (French: "fire of joy") is a form of formal celebratory gunfire consisting of a celebratory rifle salute, described as a "running fire of guns." As soldiers fire into the air sequentially in rapid succession, the cascade of blank r ...

with their

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

s. Crowds then pull the chariot through central Kathmandu accompanied by musical bands. The journey is performed in three stages to permit devotees to make oblations. Worshippers bring trays of offerings and light rows of

butter lamp Butter lamps or butterlamps (; ) are a common feature of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout the Himalayas. The lamps traditionally burn clarified yak butter, but now often use vegetable oil or vanaspati ghee. The butter l ...

s to honor the deity wherever the chariot stops. Sweet

marjoram Marjoram (; ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted mar ...

flowers (मूस्वां) are special offerings on the occasion.

The route

On the first day, the chariot is pulled from Jamal,

through Bhotahiti to

Asan Asan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 300,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs and is a city of spas. Asan has grown into th ...

where it makes an overnight halt. The next day, the chariot is pulled through Indra Chok to

Kathmandu Durbar Square Kathmandu Durbar Square (''Basantapur Durbar Kshetra'') is located in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom and is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNES ...

where it makes its second stop. On the third day, the chariot is pulled through Maru and Chika: Mugha: Chikan Mugal to Lagan at the southern end of the historic section of Kathmandu. There the procession ends after the chariot makes three rounds of the temple housing the mother of Janabaha Dyo. The idol is then carried back to the temple at Jana Baha, and the chariot is disassembled and the parts stored for next year. The three-day parade is one of the two great chariot festivals in Kathmandu, the other being Kumari Jatra during Yenya Punhi. The date of the chariot procession of Jana Baha Dyah is changeable as it is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Similar chariot processions known as

Bunga Dyah Jatra Rato Machindranath Jatra ( ne, रातो मच्छिन्द्रनाथको रथयात्रा; new, बुंग द्यः जात्रा,Buṅga Dyaḥ Jātrā) is a chariot procession honouring the Vajrayani Buddhism ...

are celebrated in Lalitpur and Dolakha in April-May.

Gallery

File:Chairot for seto Machindranath.jpg, The chariot being built File:Seto Machhindranath0619.JPG, Detail of the chariot File:Seto Machchhindra 02.jpg, Jana Baha Dya inside the chariot File:Kathmandu Seto Machindranath 19th century.jpg, Chariot at Asan, circa 1915 File:Janabaha asan.jpg, Chariot at Asan in 1999 File:The Charriot Panning.jpg, Chariot procession in 2018

References

{{Reflist Buddhist festivals in Nepal Parades in Nepal

History

The procession

The route

Gallery

See also

References