The cremation site is adjacent to the Bishnu Devi Temple – a shrine dedicated to one of the avatars of Goddess Parvati – and is legendary to the residents of the surrounding villages of Panga and Bhajangal in Kirtipur.
Located to the south of Kathmandu in Kirtipur Municipality Ward No. 18, and situated between the hills of Kirtipur and Chobhar, the Bishnu Devi Ghat is a mysterious cremation site for its extraordinary characteristics, as will be described below.
“This is a strange ghat compared to others in Nepal,” says Chandra Mali, adding, “Because mourners abandon the corpse after it is set on fire on the pyre to let it burn on its own.
Unlike elsewhere, the pyre of the Bishnu Devi Ghat requires only nine small pieces of wood for adults and seven for children which is generally inadequate to burn a corpse. After setting the mortal remains of the deceased on fire, it is covered with a stack of hay and left in that state.”
Accordingly, the mourners return only the next morning to collect the ashes. Surprisingly the corpse is completely incinerated.
“Only the dead bodies of sinners remain incompletely burnt while the remains of pious ones are properly incinerated,” says Jit Lal Mali, 66, adding “This is due to the esoteric powers of Bishnu Devi.”
He further says that even in rain and storms, the fire once set to the funeral pyre rarely extinguishes. He remembers one incident:
“Once we were at this cremation site in the evening. As we were igniting the fire on the pyre, the sky darkened and there were thunderstorms. The whole sky was dusty and smoky. We left the ghat in the downpour. But when we came back the next morning, we found only the ashes of the previous dead body.”
Narahari Maharjan, 59, of Kirtipur also has many similar stories to prove the same point. He highlights the phenomenal secret behind this happening:
“The corpse is burnt completely only when it’s forsaken by the mourners. If people stay with the corpse during the burning process, it’s not fully cremated. The mystery is still unsolved.”
He also claims that foreign researchers have visited the ghat and have failed in their efforts to know the truth. “They couldn’t carry out their research for more than two days. They became ill and abandoned the place. Nobody can unravel this mystery, and it’ll remain so forever.”
This mystery of the cremation ghat is unfolded by Chandi Baba, a sadhu who claims to have lived at the Bishnu Devi Temple for four years. He ascribes it to the Ages of the Nagas (serpents). When asked to explain, the Baba, who now lives in the Chandeshwori Temple premises of Tokha, says that the fight between two powerful serpents caused this magic realism to happen.
“The Naga of Sankhu was challenged by the Naga Tyau Daha. While on his way to Tyau Daha, the serpent of Sankhu looked for a reliable person who could take care of a precious gem he had with him,” says Chandi Baba, adding “The serpent found an old Brahmin and handed over the mani to him with the condition that he return the gem to him if he survived the fight. But the Naga of Sankhu died in the fight, and the invaluable jewel remained with the Brahmin.”
He continues, “The mani was later taken from the Brahmin by the then king of Patan exactly at the same place where the Bishnu Devi cremation site is located. The Brahmin couldn’t bear the tragedy and died then and there. The king spread some haystack and dried leaves on the corpse and set it on fire. Despite that, the body continued to burn on its own by some occult forces. Since then, the Bishnu Devi cremation site is experiencing the same esoteric power.”
Finally the Baba revealed the last of the mystery: “In a cycle of 300 years each, the advent of a new occult force is experienced at this cremation site, after which a paradigm shift occurs. Now only 12 years are left for this cycle to complete, after which this esoteric power will no longer function.”
Whatever may be the myths, Shyam Shrestha, a permanent resident of Kirtipur and a prominent civil society member, attributes it to some scientific reason.
“Perhaps the cremation site sits on a reservoir of some forms of natural gas which aids the burning process,” he surmises.
Regardless, the question behind the mystery of the Bishnu Devi Temple Ghat still remains unanswered. Is it a natural process or some kind of esoteric power is still only a conjecture.
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