The most famous festival of Bhaktapur, Bisket Jatra, is celebrated for nine consecutive days, starting usually four days before the New Year and lasting for another four days. The festival, managed by the Guthi Sansthan of Bhaktapur, is celebrated through a series of elaborate ceremonies.[break]
“The preparations for the festival begin a month before. Guthi Sansthan coordinates with the Department of Forest to bring Sandan wood from Makwanpur to build the chariot,” says Lekhnath Sapkota, office chief at Guthi Sansthan.
Though the chariot procession of Goddess Bhadrakali and God Bhairav are more popular during Bisket Jatra, erecting and subsequent lowering of the ‘Yeo-sin-deo’ pole is actually the most important tradition in the festival. In fact, the myth regarding the beginning of the festival is signified by the pole and flags of a pair of serpents attached to it.
Dipesh Shreshta
The locals of Bhaktapur swarm around the chariot of God Bhairab at the Taumadhi Square. On the first day of the nine day long Bisket Jatra, a tug of war ensues between the eastern and western side of the town as both sides tries to pull the chariot to their direction.
Though there are different legends to signify the beginning of this festival among the native residents, according to the most popular legend, a Bhaktapur princess could never have a happy married life as her husband would be killed by two serpents that transformed from tiny germs that came out of the princess’s nostril on the first night of her marriage. However, a brave prince dared to marry the princess but stayed alert the whole night. And when the serpents appeared in front of him, he took his sword and chopped off their heads. The next morning, the serpents were publicly displayed on poles.
Tejeshwar Babu Gongah, a culture expert and local resident of Bhaktapur, says that the myth is actually a retelling of the sexual encounters of the princess. “The serpent symbolizes the princess’s sexual needs and the prince’s victory over the serpent symbolizes that he was able to fulfill those needs,” he says.
He compares the erecting and lowering of the Yeo-sin-deo pole as the symbol of natural process of a male reproductive organ before and after the sexual intercourse.
“It’s purely a celebration of sexuality. On New Year’s Day, after the pole is lowered, the chariot of Goddess Bhadrakali is slammed with that of God Bhairav at the Gahiti Square. This is also a symbol of sexual yearning,” says Gongah.
The locals around the Durbar Square area also agree with Gongah’s interpretation of the legend. “The two male and female deities are regarded as husband and wife, often citing the prince and princess from the legend,” says Kanchhi Tamakhu, 60, a Gahiti resident.
But the legend is not regarded with as much significance while celebrating the festival. The Guthi Sansthan and the locals seem to focus more on the traditional and cultural aspect. While Guthi Sansthan brings out its own itinerary of the festival, with details of the necessary pujas during any celebration, listing everything according to date and time, the locals are more excited about the processions and street festivals.
During the nine-day celebration, everyday carries a significant importance and a unique ceremony. On the first day of the festival, the chariot of Bhairav parked at Taumadhi Square is tied with two different ropes for the famous tug of war between the eastern and western sides of the town.
“It’s hard to say which side of the town will be successful in bringing the chariot to their side. But whichever side wins, the chariot at the end has to be brought to Gahiti which lies in the western side,” says Suraj Ranjit, 25, a history student who lives at Golmadhi, which lies on the eastern side.
The next two days are a break in terms of street festivals. But the Puja ceremonies and offerings to the deities by their respective caretaker priests will continue. Those days are also taken as an opportunity to maintain the chariots that may have been damaged during the tug of war on the first day.
Then on the fourth day or the day of New Year, both chariots are taken to Bhelukhel where the Yeo-sin-deo pole will be erected in the presence of the chariot gods. The next day, the pole will be lowered and the chariots are taken to Gahiti Square. For the procession of chariots to Gahiti, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square will be lit up all night and the ceremonies at Gahiti Square are even conducted past midnight.
“One of the most interesting days to witness the rich heritage and culture of Bhaktapur Square is on the second last day,” says Ranjit. On that day, all the deities are displayed out of their temples in every block and a musical procession from each block encircles the Durbar Square before coming back to their place. This festival is also called ‘deo-sagan-biyagu’, meaning wishing good luck to all deities. Since all the gods are displayed out from their respective sanctums, devotees make offerings to them all over Bhaktapur town before they return to their respective sanctorum.
“The fifth day is when the street festivals reach their peak,” says Tamakhu. On the last day of the festival, the tug of war again continues. This tradition has a history of turning violent at times. Tamakhu is also one of the victims of the chaos during the fifth day celebrations. “Even my shop had been vandalized many years back,” she says.
“For the people who know very less about the cultural importance of the festival, they take it as a chaotic festival. But that’s not the case. The violence during the chariot procession has been decreasing significantly,” says Sapkota.
According to him, during the street festivals in Bisket Jatra, the streets and squares around the Durbar Square will be swarmed with thousands of people, but one can equally enjoy the greatest celebration of Nepali New Year if you take certain precautions.
“If you want to go near the chariots, you better have a friend who is a native of Bhaktapur and has experience in chariot pulling. Otherwise, it’s wise to stay on the rooftops of restaurants or houses and enjoy the spectacle and stay safe at the same time,” he advises.
Cultural experts say that the festival has evolved from a two-day ceremony to the current nine-day festival. Originally, the celebration of the festival was signified by displaying the two long flags commemorating the dead serpents on a wooden pole.
“The street festival must have been elaborated in order to ensure participation of the locals. The tug of war signifies that the concept of festival must have originally started to have equal participation from all sides of the town,” says Gongah.
This year, the Bisket Jatra will be celebrated from April 10 to April18. Celebrating the start of spring and the Nepali New Year according to the Vikram
calendar in the beautiful Bhaktapur Durbar Square can be a memorable experience. Bisket Jatra is also an opportunity to witness the rich cultural heritage of the Bhaktapur natives and view the ancient deities of the city, who otherwise are out of view for the public throughout the year. It is also an ideal time to visit the nearby villages and settlements like Thimi, Sano Thimi, Bode and Nagadesh where the locals celebrate the festival in their own unique ways.
Guide to Bisket Jatra
The biggest annual street festival in Bhaktapur
Wednesday, April 10
The evening of the first day of the festival sees the Bisket Jatra commencing with the chariot pulling of God Bhairab and Goddess Bhadra Kali. The priests of both deities perform rituals from the morning. The procession at the Taumadhi Square starts at around four o’clock in the afternoon.
The tug of war between the eastern and western parts of Bhaktapur City is the main spectacle of the day before the chariots are taken to Gahiti. Visitors are advised to view the procession from a safe distance to avoid any untoward accidents.
Thursday, April 11
After the chariots reach Gahiti, the deities are taken out from their chariots to be enshrined in their respective ‘dya-chen’ or sanctums. These deities are put in temporary residence as per tradition that they cannot return to their permanent places before the nine-day festival ends.
Friday, April 12
Various rituals are performed by the priests during the deities’ stay at their temporary residences. Since the second and third days are restful in terms of street festivals during the Jatra, there will be no open-air processions. Meanwhile, Guthi volunteers will prepare the ‘Yeo-sin deo’ pole to be erected the following day.
During these two days, visitors can walk around the Bhaktapur Durbar Square and look at the preparations. This can be an ideal time to mingle and have a firsthand experience of the rich heritage of Bhaktapur.
Saturday, April 13 – New Year’s Eve
The respective priests will offer rituals to Lord Bhairab Nath and Goddess Bhadra Kali in the morning. The chariots of the deities will be taken to Bhelukhel where the ‘Yeo-sin deo’ is to be erected. This will take place in the afternoon, around 2-4 pm.
As the chariots face the direction of the pole, the volunteers will erect the pole. This generally takes place after five in the evening.
Sunday, April 14 – Nepali New Year’s Day
There will be more rituals performed by the priests. In addition to the offerings made to Bhairab Nath, they will also perform rituals to Goddess Indrayani. After completing the required rituals, the pole at Bhelukhel is lowered, at around five in the evening.
After that, the chariots of Bhairab and Bhadra Kali are pulled back to Gahiti where the chariot of Bhadrakali will be repeatedly slammed against the one of Bhairab’s.
Monday, April 15
The sixth day is the festival of Goddesses Maha Laxmi and Maha Kali. In the afternoon, the goddesses are taken out of their chariots and brought together to meet each other. This is regarded as an annual reunion of the two sister goddesses.
Tuesday, April 16
On the seventh day of the festival, offerings are made to goddess Brahmayani. The procession of the goddess is made by sixteen caretakers who carry her on a chariot that rests on two long shoulders poles. A musical band leads the chariot and devotees singing hymns follow it.
The day also marks the festival of the elephant-headed god called ‘Chuma Gane deo’ or Lord Ganesh.
Wednesday, April 17
On the penultimate day of the festival, the natives of Bhaktapur will circumambulate the Durbar Square, making offerings to the deities who are taken out of their respective sanctums. Musical processions are also seen encircling the Durbar Square.
Visitors can witness the beautiful and vibrant cultural heritage of Bhaktapur. The processions start in the morning, from around 8 am.
Thursday, April 18
God Bhairab and Goddess Bhadra Kali complete their nine-day outings. The last day of Bisket Jatra again witnesses the tug of war between the two sides of the town at the Taumadhi Square. Even though it is the final day, people don’t seem to get tired of the chariot festival, and the festivities continue well into the night.
As advised on the first day of the festival, visitors are asked to keep a safe distance from the celebrating crowds to keep away from any (un)likely accidents.
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