It is said that he descended on Kathmandu to obtain the rare flower to fulfill his mother, Goddess Dangi’s wishes. He disguised himself as a local but was caught at the hands of a guard. It was decided that the “thief” should be punished as per the law. Lord Indra, however, did not reveal his identity and it was only his mother, came down to earth to rescue his son, the valley denizens discovered that the thief was King of heaven. [break]
The native residents of Kathmandu carried out a joyous “jatra,” or procession, and this fanfare is known today as Indra Jatra, the pomp and ceremony annually organized to commemorate the event on this particular day.
At present, at the beginning of every autumn, the denizens of the Kathmandu Valley stage it by tying up the idol of the King of Heaven in front of the Aju Dya, the ‘elder god,’ popularly known as Akash Bhairab, at Indra Chowk of Kathmandu. This marks the beginning of Indra Jatra, the biggest religious street festival in town.
As Lord Indra is bound on a high platform, his celestial vehicle, a white elephant, wildly searches for its master on the streets of Kathmandu. It is said that it ran from door to door, pushing aside anyone or anything that came on its way during its search for its beloved Lord. Named as Pulu Kishi or Tana Kishi, the elephant, which brought the King of Heaven to earth, was said to be uncontrollable for not being able to find its master.
Home to many myths, Kathmandu and its natives celebrate each festival as they repeat those stories from the time when gods walked in the beautiful valley, which as the stories dictate, was as beautiful as the heavens. Indra Jatra is also one such festival that bases its celebrations not only on one myth but many that define the cultural practices of the Newar Nations of the Valley.
“The festival was named Indra Jatra much later. It was originally called Yenya,” says Professor Baldev Juju, a senior culture expert. According to him, the name Yenya is derived from two words in Nepal Bhasa, ‘Ye’ meaning Kathmandu, and ‘Ya’ meaning festival, thus summarizing a variety of celebrations, rather than Indra Jatra only.
The weeklong festival witnesses processions of many gods and goddesses inside the core Kathmandu area. And each procession is organized by its respective team of people, called ‘Guthi,’ who were given the responsibilities to continue the tradition from each passing generation. In this case, the procession of Pulu Kishi, the Airavat elephant, or the ‘elephant of the clouds,’ is organized by the Kilaga Twa Aakha Chhen Guthi.
To impersonate the Pulu Kishi, two members of the Guthi wear the costumes, one of them also bearing the mask of the elephant. The one with the mask stands in front of the other, who stands a meter away behind, to complete the imitation of the elephant’s huge body. And during the procession, they walk rampantly in the streets, staging the search for Lord Indra.
The Guthi responsible for the organization of the procession of Pulukishi also takes care of the costumes and mask of the revered vehicle of Indra throughout the year.
“The mask is stored inside the Aakha Chhen (god’s abode) and is worshipped everyday. But on the third day of Indra Jatra, there is a special puja before the Pulu Kishi is taken out to the streets,” says Natikaji Maharjan, one of the members of the Guthi and whose family participated as Pulu Kishi two years back.
The Kilaga Twa Aakha Chhen Guthi is hosted by 185 families from the Maharjan subcaste who are the natives of the Kilagal area, a street west to the Basantapur Durbar Square. Every family take turns to impersonate Lord Indra’s vehicle and organizes the elaborate puja for the annual festival.
The procession of Pulukishi starts from the third day of Indra Jatra and lasts till the end. It takes the same route as that of the chariot of Goddess Kumari. But unlike the Kumari’s chariot, which is slow and has to stop at many places due to its huge size, Pulukishi is rather very fast, the elephant barging through the thick crowds and sometimes even pushing the bystanders. When the procession of Pulukishi arrives, the bystanders are warned beforehand to give space to the white elephant to avoid any accident.
Apart from the normal route taken during the festival, the procession of Pulukishi is also taken to the various ‘tole’-s or streets inside the core Kathmandu area whose native residents have invited it to their place.
“Generally, it would be the daughters who were married off to different neighborhoods who were the ones to invite Pulukishi to their places to witness the procession. But now, different clubs from various nearby localities have also started inviting the Pulukishi,” says Maharjan.
Though the procession of Pulukishi is overshadowed by other popular processions such as those of Goddess Kumari, Gods Ganesh and Bhairab, Dangi, the mother of Lord Indra, Majipa Lakhey and many others, it is however regarded as one of the most entertaining ones.
Regardless of being treated as a side act, however, the preparations for Pulukishi need considerable time and effort.
“A month before the commencement of the procession, the mask is taken to the artist for repairing that, in the Nepal Bhasa [the Newar language], is called Lapu Chyyau,” says Maharjan. He also adds that there is a special technique for repairing the mask, and the designated artist is required to work on it on empty stomach. Then, a day before the procession, it is taken back to its abode. The special puja next day begins at around midday before the Pulukishi is taken out in the streets at around 2-3 pm in the afternoon.
“Though it may look like a procession of a single elephant, its management nonetheless is an arduous task. So, apart from the Guthi, the local youth clubs of Kilagal are also involved with the management of the procession,” he says.
He also adds that among the 185 families, it is only their male members who are allowed to impersonate the revered Airavat elephant.
“Last year, the chariots were pulled by women, which otherwise were dominated by the male population. Similarly, there are discussions going on to let women impersonate as Pulukishi as well,” he says.
Indra Jatra is termed as the biggest religious street festival because of the variety of the processions that one can witness on the streets. In a country where people worship gods and goddesses, who are counted to be thirty-three million, it is a delight to watch a few of them on the streets of Kathmandu for public display once a year.
For the festival that is named after Lord Indra, without the mention of his vehicle – the Airavat Tusker – the festivities can be rather incomplete. It also signifies a culture where not only gods but their aides and vehicles, be they even animals, are also worshipped and equally respected.
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