Majipa Lakhey (

Nepal Bhasa Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surro ...

: मजिपा लाखे, ) is a special

lakhey Lākhey (Nepal Bhasa: लाखे or , lā-khé) (alternative spellings Lākhe, Lākhay, ) is the dance of a demon in the carnival of God. Durbar Square, a historic plaza in Kathmandu, Nepal, facing ancient palaces and adorned by Hindu templ ...

in Nepalese folklore. He is also known as the Peaceful

Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhairava ...

(शान्त भैरव). The dance of this Lakhey takes place only in the week of the full moon of the month of Yenlaa of the

Nepal Sambat 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. He is considered to be the protector of the children.

Etymology

The Newari word ''Majipa'' is derived from Sanskrit "Manjupattan" "

Manjusri Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārab ...

city". Lākhe is the term used to denote carnivorous demons. Majipa Lakhey literally means the "carnivorous demon of Majipa".

Mythology

According to stories passed down through generations, majipa lakhey is supposed to have fallen in love with a girl from Majipa. So, the demon takes a form of a human and enters the city to see his beloved. Upon knowing the fact that the person is a Lakhey, the people capture the lakhey and present him to the king. The king makes a proposal to the demon that he will grant him a place in the city if he vows to preserve the children from other demons and participate in the annual Yanyaa Punhi Jatra (also called Indra Jatra). The Lakhey agrees and is supposed to reside in Majipa ever since. Another story links Lakhey to banishing the two

cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

children of the king

Sawan Bhaku Sāwaṇ or Sāuṇ ( pa, ਸਾਵਣ, ਸਾਉਣ, ) is the fifth month in the Nanakshahi calendar. Many Indian calendars started in different eras such as Shaka Calendar (national calendar of India) traditional Vikrama as well as the Nan ...

, after he was requested to do so by

Akash Bhairav Akash Bhairav () or Aaju () is one of the different forms of Bhairava. The temple of Akash Bhairav is supposed to have been a palace of the first king of Nepal, Kiranti King Yalambar around 3100–3500 years back. The surrounding of Akash Bhair ...

and

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

. However, the two children return to the city on Yanyaa Punhi to claim their rule and to devour humans. Lakhey is supposed to send them out of the city. This is symbolically represented in a dance conducted in Yanyaa Punhi every year. Majipa Lakhey's wife's name is Lashi, and their daughter's name was Lakhapati.

Majipa Lakhey dance

During the

Indra Jatra Indra Jātrā, also known as Yenyā (Nepal Bhasa: येँयाः), is the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. The celebrations consist of two events, Indra Jātrā and Kumāri Jātrā. Indra Jātrā is marked by masked danc ...

festival in Nepal, the Majipa Lakhey dance is conducted by the

Ranjitkar Ranjitkar (रञ्जितकार a.k.a. Chhipaa or Ranjit) is one of the castes of Newar. The Newari caste system is divided according to profession. The Ranjitkar caste is concerned with the dyeing of clothes as well as other color related ...

s of Kathmandu. Unlike in other traditional dances, the dancers are not trained in this dance. The Ranjitkars may have inherited this dance in their genes. The costume of Lakhey consists of a mask with hair and costumes attached to it. Together, these costumes and the mask can weigh up to . Before donning the mask, of clothing has to be worn. With all these additional weights, the Lakhey dance must still be performed easily and gracefully.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20061115000407/http://www.nepalnews.com/contents/dailyphotos/morepicsq.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20070927123955/http://www.general-travels.com/gallery.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20070214103743/http://www.rajeshkc.com/phalano/?p=594
Indrajatra Festival Nepal
Nepalese culture Newar {{Nepal-stub

Etymology

Mythology

Majipa Lakhey dance

See also

References

External links