hamro panauti

The Swosthani story is about the creation of earth and the life on it. Then, it tells about mainly Lord Shiva, his two spouses, and two sons. His first tricky marriage with Satidevi ends up in tragedy, as Dacche Prajapati: father of Satidevi could never accept the unequal marriage. After the untimely death of Satidevi, Lord Shiva almost goes insane and carries the corpse on his back being unable to accept the reality of death of Satidevi. As the organs of the dead body of Satidevi falls one by one, each organ fallen at each place becomes a deity and takes the names of the organ. Satidevi in her next incarnation becomes the daughter of King Himalaya, and gets the name of Parbati. When she reaches puberty, her parents think to give her in marriage to Lord Vishnu but she dedicates her life to Lord Shiva and ultimately gets wedded to Lord Shiva. read more...

Panauti Jatra is a combination of the palanquin and chariot festivals. It is the nine-day festival starting off on the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Jyestha (May-June) and ending on the third day of the dark fortnight in Ashad (June-July). During the festival Goddess Brahmayani and God Mahadev are taken out on different portable shrines carried on shoulder poles whereas God Bhairava and Goddess Bhadrakali are pulled on chariots. Panauti Jatra is unique in the sense that Lord Mahadev: one of the Hindu Trinity that does not accept blood, is honored and revered along with other Tantric gods and goddesses that accept blood of sacrificial animals.
The Jatra starts off on the tenth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Jyestha (May-June). On this day Hindu priests called Achhanju perform rituals to the Tantric gods and goddesses; thereafter the concerned temple caretakers bring them out from their temples and place them at an open public places. Men, women and children with bronze or wicker basketful of offerings visit all these gods and goddesses and make offerings to them in the morning. From this day on until the fourth day of the festival, everybody becomes busy with the preparation for celebrating the festival. read more...

In the Newar community, there is a unique tradition of marrying their girl child to the bel fruit (wood apple). One must be familiar with the term bel bibaha. The marriage between a virgin Newari girl and bel fruit is held before the girl attains puberty. This ensures that the girl acquires active and healthy reproductive powers. The group bel bibaha function is held every year at triveni ghat Panauti during Akshya titiya. Hundreds of Newar girls from and around Panauti participate in this function.Here the bel fruit is the bridegroom, representative of the eternal bachelor (Lord Kumar, son of Lord Shiva ). In this marriage ceremony, known as Ihi in Newari, the bel fruit must look rich and ripe and must not be damaged in any kind. If by chance the fruit turns out to be a damaged one, it is believed that the girl or the bride will be destined to spend the rest of her life with an ugly looking unfaithful husband after her real marriage. However the most significant aspect of the ‘Bel Marriage’ is that once married to Lord Kumar, the woman will remain pure and chaste and even if her husband dies after the marriage she would not be considered a widow, the case in point being that she is already married to the Lord.

Yomari Puni is one of the main festival celebrated in Panauti. Yomari Puni- meaning full moon of Yomari, one of the popular newar festivals observed every year during the full moon of December (Thilla Puni). A Yomari is a confection of rice flour (from new harvest) dough shaped like fig and filled with chaaku (brown crane sugar) and teel (sesame seed), which is then steamed. The named yomari comes from two Nepal bhasa words "Yo" meaning "to like" and "mari" meaning "delicacy". So literally it is likely delicacy. The people prepared Yomaris in the form of god and goddess such as Kuber, Ganesh, Laxmi, Moon and two big Yomari, named "nayou and bayou". The delicacy is the chief item on the menu during the post harvest celebration of Yomari puni. On this full moon day Newar community offer worship to Annapurna, the goddess of grains for the rice harvest. read more...

Maha Shiva Ratri is the special day to worship loard shiva, many hindus go to Shiva Temple and some have fasting too. On the evening of this day people make fire and pays homage to loard shiva. Like in other part of countary, Panauti also observe this festival in Indreswor Temple and major parts of town. As Shiva Ratri falls of last day of MAKAR MELA this year many numbers of people are belived to visit Panauti. People make Haluwa and have it as prasad in every junction where fire is made in the evening. Some people have hymp as prasad of lord shiva, but it remained as evil practise in society.So lets stop such evil in society.

An Introduction to Nava Durga Bhaktapur, the city of devotees, is famous for its temple architecture and its magnificent representation of gods and goddesses created by anonymous Newar craft-masters during the reign of the Mallas. Among the various gods and goddesses of Bhaktapur, Nava Durga, the mask-deities is mobile, dramatic and mysterious. As a matter of fact Bhaktapur is renowned for Nava Durga. Nava Durga means nine Durgas composed of Mahakali, Kumari, Barahi, Brahmayani, Mahesvari, Viasnavi, Indrani, Mahalaksmi and Tripurasundari. Durgas are the various demonic representation or manifestation of Parvati, the Sakti of Shiva, in tantric tradition. In Bhaktapur Nava Durga is a set of masks with a ritual continual life force which begins from Dashain in October and ends in Bhagasti in June. Since the day of Bhagasti all the deities in Nepal live not in the land but beneath the water until Gathamuga Chare, a little less than five weeks later. On the day of Gathamuga the gathas take some black clay from the field and erect a linga of Shiva. read more...

This festival is running in Harisiddhi VDC Since 774 Nepal Sambat by King Pratap Malla. The Harisiddhi dance is considered to be the oldest traditional dance in Nepal.This dance was initiated about 2,400 years ago by King Vikramaditya. It is said to use the language of gods and speech of the spirits.As a result of discontinuity, it disappeared and King Amar Malla was the first to re-initiate the dance. However,the tradition again Vanished and was finally revived by King Pratap Malla. The Raja (Vikramajit) went back to Ujjain, and having brought the god of three Shakties,of attributes, named Harisiddhi, placed her near Nil Tara from this, the village of Harisiddhi took its origin. The Raja then under the direction of the Goddes brought all the gods Nepal to that place with great ceremonies and dramatic and vocal instrumental music. It is well known that there is no dramatic performances to that of Harisiddhi. So, this time after 60 years of history.It is coming to Panauti again to Mark the Makar Mela 2066. Hope we will able to Welcome them with Heart fully & Warmly in our Historical town Panauti. [Thanks: Prasant Shrestha]

Sithi Nakha falls on sixth day of the bright half of the month of Jetha(MAY/JUN). This festival is said to have been observed to mark the birthday of Kumar, the Hindu deity of war and one of the sons of Lord Shiva, to worship on his birthday as a mark of gratitude for fighting a battle with the demons and helping the Gods regain their kingdom. The faithful celebrate Sithi Nakha by visiting Kumar"s temple in the southern part of Kathmandu. It is one of the main festivals to be observed by the native inhabitants of the Panauti Valley. On this day especially the Newars of the Panauti and Kathmandu Valley prepare a typically Nepali dish made of maas, black lentil, and mugi, kidney beans, kasu, small peas ground, bodi beans and offer it to Kumar. They take these dishes and enjoy themselves. Next day Kumar seated on a peacock beginning from Hanumandhoka Durbar Square is a chariot is carried by men in accompaniment with musical instruments played by a nominate party of men along the streets of Kathmandu, Kumar, being a war-lord, his conveyance has been a peacock, a bird of slow and cautious motion, quick change and flights all the qualities needed in an advancing army. The festival also marks the end of Dewaali, a festival when the Nepalese worship their family deities annually. Those families which do not or cannot observe the Deewali for vivid reasons, worship the family deities by way of apologizing and also Kumar on this day. Another special feature of this festival is the cleaning of the wells and springs from which people, before the supply of filtered drinking water through galvanized pipes and taps, used to drink water.

Gai Jatra is special festival celebrated by Newars of Kathmandu Valley and Newar towns. This festival is said to be started by King Jay Prakash Malla after the death of his son to sympathise the queen.In this festival people dressed up in the attire of a cow parade in the streets of the town, but the way they present differ from town to town.Gai Jatra is also known as Cow Festival. In Kathmandu small children from the dead persons family dressed up as God. In Patan people mimic and enjoy also surround the city enchanting Bhajan, in Bhaktapur Tahasa and Tahamacha is popular. But in Panauti fusion from these three town is popular, the unique way of celebrating Gai Jatra in panauti is that people enters into "Dhakacha:"-basket dressing as cow and "Saa:cha:"- special traditional umbrella. In other cities they just surround the Dhakacha: and saa:cha: in street but people enters into them and surround is only practised in Panauti.
This custom spring from the belief that cows help the members of the family, who have died within that year, to cross the Baitadi Nadi(mythical river) on the way to heaven smoothly. Some are also dressed up as an ascetic or a fool for achieving the same objective to their dead family members. Groups of mimics improvise short satirical enactments on the current socio political scenes of the town to the entertainment of the public. So this festival is not only popular among Newars but also popular among all. The week beginning from Janai Poornima actually unfolds a season of good many religious and cultural activities. The festivity of Gaijatra itself lasts for a week enlivened by the performance of dance and drama in the different localities of the town. The spirit of the old festival is being increasingly adapted by Cultural Centres, newspapers and magazines of filling humor and satire on the Nepalese social and political life.

A gilded idol of Nama Buddha is brought to Panauti on the second day before the "panchadan festival" (late August or early September). It is put into a small chariot carried on men's shoulders into the town from Tri-beni ghat, one of the holiest places in Nepal, with the performances of different kinds of drums, cymbals and musical bands.
The next day is the day of "Panchadan". On that day, the idol of Nama Buddha is kept in a courtyard when crowd of local men & women devotedly offer their worship to the deity in the morning. In the evening, a small chariot with idol in it is carried along with two Dipankar Buddhas through the main streets in Panauti. Beside having the musical bands of the local wards, the Sakyas and the people murmur the Buddhist hymns burning incense. At this time, men and women offer the oil lamps to the deities from their windows. Read more..

Dashain is one one of the biggest festival of Nepal. In this festival people from different place come to their home to celebrate this festival. Ghatasthapana marks the first day of Dasain, Nepali's biggest festival. On this day people sow Jamara in their respective home after a small puja in their puja kotha. It is sowed upon a small mud bed for which mud is collected from nearby ponds or river. Jamara is the grown collection seedlings of barley and corn which is used while putting Tika.
Everyday little water is sprinkled on it and on the tenth day of Dasain which marks the day of Vijaya Dasami it is given to all of the family members along with Tikas by the elderly person of the family. Beside residential home, Jamara is also sowed in different temples such as Layaku and Kot Ghar by priest or the care taker of the temple. Incase of Panauti Jamara is sowed at layaku,Kot Ghar(Meula Kot and Mul Kot) by Brahmin Rajopadhaya and tantric priest Karmacharya. read more....

One of the popularly celebrated festivities of Panauti that has remained evergreen is the Sakimana Punhi festival. It is, at best, the festival of grains like corn, soyabeans and boiled sweet potatos designed and decorated with the fruits and other sweets. Setting of grains and fruits forms the border lines like to the frame of a pictorial object.
Varities of grains, corns, roots and sweets are important for the event. Each individual household contributes certain amounts of grains, puffed sorns, sweets and steamed roots for the purpose. They skillfully utilize them in drawing and desigining pictorial forms . Local temples, chariots and symbol of monuments are formed using the grains and puffed corns.
Governed by the local Guthi-a traditional institution, an organ of Newar society plays the leading role for exhibition in every section the township. Irrespective of the location and conditons this festival is celebrated in all the places having Newar inhabitations. On the very evening the chaturmas vajan(hym enchanted for four month) is concluded read more....