Attributed to the city as part of its original traditions, this festival of lightheartedness is a keepsake of the old Kantipur since the Malla regime.[break]
Almost ironically as it seems, Gai Jatra is actually about death. In Hindu mythology, after death and in order to get to the Yamalok – the realm of Yama Dev, the Hindu god of death – one has to cross a perilous river called Baitarani. To do so, one has to catch the tail of the cow which will take him to the other side.
Photos: Keshab Thoker/Bhaswor Ojha
In this festival, which is native to the Newars of Kathmandu, these young boys in funny dresses are the cumulative symbol of the cow at the banks of the River Baitarani so that the souls of those deceased in their families within that year will have no problem in having the cow to help them across to the purgatory, and hence the name of the festival: Gai Jatra.
Indra Mali, a cultural expert, however, says that the name ‘Gaijatra’ is something recent. In local Newar dialect, the day is observed as Sa Paro; Sa meaning cow and Paro meaning ‘pratipada,’ an auspicious day in Newar culture. Since the day falls on the Bhadra Krishna Pratipada, it has, according to Mali, always been celebrated as Sa Paro.
“The word ‘Gaijatra’ I believe was started from the times of the Ranas. In texts written before that time, nowhere has the day been mentioned as Gaijatra,” says Mali.
According to Mali, Hindu religious texts state that the doors to the Yamalok open for seven days, starting from the Bhadra Krishna Pratipada. On these seven days, the bereaved families of those deceased within that year come out on the streets dressed as cows and sages, singing songs to deities for those passed away.
Despite its connection to death, Gai Jatra is today taken as a funny celebration, and historical sources point out to King Pratap Malla for this interpretation.
According to various historical texts, one of the sons of Pratap Malla died, being crushed to death by an elephant, due to which the queen remained grief-stricken for many days. The king was very sad to see the condition of his beloved queen. He then announced that every family in Kathmandu who lost at least one member that year came via the palace during Sa Paro so that the queen would see that it was not only her son who died. Along with that, the king also announced that everyone was free to ridicule any misdeeds of the palace or the government, the injustices and other bad happenings in the society.
“So, the king instituted that tradition into the Gaijatra celebrations,” says Mali.
He also adds that the tradition set by Pratap Malla gave people chances to report social mishaps and mistakes of the government openly in funny manners.
The seven days are the days of the real Sa Paro celebrations in Kathmandu which lasts until the Krishna Janm Astami. On these days, Newars of Kathmandu follow a specific elaborate route that spans Kohiti, Maru, Hanuman Dhoka Palace, Indra Chowk, Ason, Pyafal and all other places in between in a procession.
Abhas Rajopadhyay, another cultural expert, says that the route followed is shaped like the hoof of a cow.
“As the route taken is in the shape of a cow’s khur – as the hoof is called in local dialect – people in the past thought it auspicious, and it is still followed as a tradition.”
Another reason as to why that specific route is followed on the day, as Mali puts, could be because in the past Kathmandu was a small city with its main road running close to the then royal palace, Hanuman Dhoka.
“The route follows the main road of that time and people today staying true to the tradition set by their ancestors still take the same route,” Mali says.
In a Gai Jatra procession, members of the bereaved families also sing hymns in the name of the deceased with reference to gods, especially Ram and Sita. The hymns are called ‘Ramayan’ which should not, however, be mistaken for the religious epic of the same name. This tradition of singing ‘Ramayan,’ according to Rajopadhyay, is very ancient, almost dating back to the start of the festival. But as Rajopadhyay says, this culture is gradually fading as few people these days sing such songs about the deceased.
On this day, various Baja Khalas – traditional Newar music orchestras – from different bahals (Newar courtyards where kin of the same clan live around together) like Om Bahal and Itum Bahal in Kathmandu join the Gai Jatra procession playing their double-sided drum known as "dhaa", trumpets, clarinets, nyakhi and cymbals, adding colors to the moment. Indeed, it is without doubt that Gai Jatra is a healthy festival which enables people to accept the reality of death and to prepare themselves for the afterlife.
During the celebrations, people in the procession are offered milk, malpuwa, among many other traditional homemade dishes. However, in recent times, it has been observed that people have been given biscuits and packed juices. Mali says that all these are the influence of the time. “These days, biscuits are easier to get than it is to make malpuwa at home. So people, according to the prevailing times, have decided to do what’s easier.”
It is like people joining the procession from where it is convenient for them, as Mali says. In the case of Kathmandu, people can join the Sa Paro procession from anywhere they like.
“For example, the family residing in Kalanki can come to Bhimsenthan and join the procession.” Mali says. However, it is crucial that they come to Hanuman Dhoka at least once during the procession, no matter where they join it.
Gai Jatra is a big festival that requires proper management.
Saraswati Singh of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Conservation Committee says that it is the local clubs around the areas on the route that work for the management.
“The thing is, during Gaijatra, nothing has to be done inside the palace like in Indra Jatra. The procession passes by outside the palace. So there is no management to be done from the Palace Conservation side during Gaijatra.” Singh says.
According to her, local clubs around Hanuman Dhoka do all that is required for the proper management of the procession when it passes via the palace, and it is pretty much the same case everywhere en route. These clubs mobilize the locals, especially youths, for the management which has given young people a chance to view their culture closely and at the same time has helped them gain firsthand volunteering experience.
The Lakasha Mhalashala Pucha is one such club that, with the help from different schools around the city, Nepal Scout, the Nepal Traffic, and locals, has been looking after the Basantapur Durbar Square during Gai Jatra for last seven years. The club organizes Waste Free Community Program every year during Gai Jatra which consists of programs to make proper disposal of plastic, tapari (leaf plates), and litter thrown about during the procession. Along with that, this year, the club organized a procession for the martyrs of Nepal, along with the regular familial processions.
Saying all that, Gai Jatra, or Sa Paro, is among the various unique festivals and cultural events that set us apart from others around us. This celebration that dates back to over three hundred years in the history of Kathmandu carries our identity and has been passing through our times as a legacy received from our ancestors. Along with that, Gai Jatra takes us to the core of ancient Kantipur, now modern Kathmandu, and the unique Newar culture that has been thriving here since time immemorial.
ashis.d.upadhyay@gmail.com
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