''Bhairab Pyankhan''. "

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 ...

's Dance" is an ancient masked

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

performed by Newar community in the

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

as part of 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 and named after Bhairab

, an aspect of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

History

It was originated in

Bhaktapur , motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture , image_map ...

and brought to

Pokhara Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the List of cities in Nepal, second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living ...

while migrating. Although it was performed every 12 years in Bhaktapur, it is performed every 6 years in pokhara valley to better fulfill its cultural role. It was brought more than 236 years ago by Jitaram from Bhaktapur according to the guru Late Mr. Sarbagyaman Pradhananga . The rag (song)in this dance indicates that it was started at the time of last

Malla Malla may refer to: Places ;Bolivia *Malla, Bolivia, a locality *Malla Jawira, a river * Malla Jaqhi, a mountain *Malla Municipality *Malla Qullu, a mountain ;India * Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu *Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the sixte ...

King of Bhaktapur, Ranajit Malla.

Dancers

There are 12 deities in this dance, namely Dagini (

Dakini A ḍākinī ( sa, डाकिनी; ; mn, хандарма; ; alternatively 荼枳尼, ; 荼吉尼, ; or 吒枳尼, ; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, ''dakini'') is a type of female spirit, goddess, or demon in Hinduism and Bud ...

), Kwancha, Bhuccha, Bhairab, Kali Bhairab (Budi Bhairab), Indrayani, Barah, Kumari, Bishnuvi ( Vaishnavi), Bramhayani (

Brahmani Brahmani (Sanskrit: ब्रह्माणी, IAST: Brahmāṇī) or Brahmi (Sanskrit: ब्राह्मी, IAST: Brāhmī), is one of the seven Hindu mother goddesses known as Sapta Matrikas. She is a form of Saraswati and is considered ...

), Maheswori(Gangaju) and Ganesh (

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

). Bhairab leads and conducts the dance. Before the dance all performers bathe and wear ceremonial clothes and mask ( Khawpa). After wearing the mask no performer can speak until it is taken out. The dance is started at the Bhairab Temple in the evening and after a couple of rounds and puja it is taken to the hosting place where it is performed for around six hours including puja. At first all 12 gods dance. After the puja is complete then individual dance starts. First is Bhairab with Kwancha and Bhuccha which is like a child and adult play. It is called a Jyoti Naach. After that Bhairab, Kali, Indrayani and Barah come. It lasts almost one hour and called a Char Bhairab. It is an energetic dance and most people love to watch this part of the dance. Then come Kumari, Bishnuvi, Bramhayani and Ganga. Then Ganesh dances solo. Then come Kwancha and Bhuchha, again with their like childlike playing. At the end comes Dagini. In the closing act all 12 Bhairabs participate. Then the ending puja is performed and they return to the Bhairab Temple.

Other similar dances

Comparable dances include the Mahakali Naach of Bhaktapur; the

Devi Naach Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...

of Kilaghal Tole; the Lakhe Naach of Majipat Tole and the Layaku Bhaila (Royal Bhairab) of

Madhyapur Thimi Madhyapur Thimi, also known as Thimi, ( ne, मध्यपुर थिमि) is a municipality in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. Thimi lies between Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley. It is one o ...

Gallery

File:Shiva Bhairab (Bhairab Naach) 01.jpg, Bhairab File:Kali (Bhairab Naach masks).jpg, Kali (Budi) Bhairab File:Indraini (Bhairab Naach mask).jpg, Indrayani File:Barah (Bhairab Naach masks).jpg, Barah File:Kumari (Bhairab Naach masks).jpg, Kumari File:Bishnuvi (Bhairab Naach mask).jpg, Bishnuvi File:Bramhayani (Bhairab Naach mask).jpg, Bramhayani File:Kwancha (Bhairab Naach mask).jpg, Kawancha File:Bhuccha (Bhairab Naach mask).jpg, Bhuccha File:Dagini (Bhairab Naach masks).jpg, Dagini

External links

Bhairab Naach Videos in Youtube

Shaphalya Amatya, ''Some aspects of cultural policy in Nepal'', UNESCO, p. 13

Pokhareli Festival Bhairab Naach
{{Newar Asian dances Newar Masked dances Kaski District Dance in Nepal Nepalese folk dances Culture of Bagmati