On my first weekend here, I was walking around the Patan main square area and I came across this towering structure. (I believe I mentioned it in a previous blog or email). I asked what it was and was told that it was a traveling temple of sorts. It is called
Rato Machhendranath Jatra
So I decided to look up more facts about it and here is what I found:
Rato, or Red, Machhendranath is one of the patron deities of the Kathmandu Valley, said to have come from ancient Kamrup in the eastern Himalays in mythical times. Although he resides most of the year in a temple in Bungamati, on the south side of the Kathmandu Valley, his ritual procession, or Jatra, takes place in Patan, across the river from Kathmandu. This year the deity is mounted in his Rath, actually a small ornate temple mounted on wooden wheels and surmounted by a wooden spire covered with pine boughs.
The mammoth wheels represent four ferocious Bhairab gods and on the prow of the chariot is the metal face of Karkot, the mythical King of the Nags, or snake deities. It is thought that Rato Machendranath brings rain to the Valley farmers through the aid of the snake gods.
For a week or longer, the chariot is pulled through the streets of Patan, coming to a halt at places where the townspeople come out to make offerings.
At the end of the festival the chariot arrives at an open field where their Majesties the King and Queen of Nepal and the Living Goddess of Patan come to witness the display of the Bhoto, the sacred, jewel-encrusted vest of Lord Machhendranath.
What was of interest to me about the whole structure was that this year, it looked very wobbly and I asked about it falling over. Apparently it has fallen over a couple times in the last decade and when it falls, it is a very bad omen for that area of the city. One year, it fell on some power lines in a very narrow street and the whole area was without power for days.
At the base of the tower there is a small opening for a temple priest to sit in and receive the offerings of the people. Other men run along side the chariot collecting the offerings and passing them up to the priest. The offerings seemed to be anything, but mostly food. The chariot does not travel very fast. This year it took about two full weeks to make the trip. In spite of it's slow speed, people do give those massive wheels a wide berth.
The chariot made it's complete circuit this year without falling over,but it did not end up in an open field. This year it ended up on the north side of the zoo (I live on the south side) and believe me, the festival was very loud. The streets were crammed with people and a huge market sprung up during the festivities. It was a big, noisy celebration!
Today, five days later, I walked through the area and saw a crew dismantling the whole thing. It was a sad testament to the whole state of affairs really. But I suppose most folks around here see it as another year of success.
Rato Machhendranath Jatra
So I decided to look up more facts about it and here is what I found:
Rato, or Red, Machhendranath is one of the patron deities of the Kathmandu Valley, said to have come from ancient Kamrup in the eastern Himalays in mythical times. Although he resides most of the year in a temple in Bungamati, on the south side of the Kathmandu Valley, his ritual procession, or Jatra, takes place in Patan, across the river from Kathmandu. This year the deity is mounted in his Rath, actually a small ornate temple mounted on wooden wheels and surmounted by a wooden spire covered with pine boughs.The mammoth wheels represent four ferocious Bhairab gods and on the prow of the chariot is the metal face of Karkot, the mythical King of the Nags, or snake deities. It is thought that Rato Machendranath brings rain to the Valley farmers through the aid of the snake gods.
For a week or longer, the chariot is pulled through the streets of Patan, coming to a halt at places where the townspeople come out to make offerings.
At the end of the festival the chariot arrives at an open field where their Majesties the King and Queen of Nepal and the Living Goddess of Patan come to witness the display of the Bhoto, the sacred, jewel-encrusted vest of Lord Machhendranath.
From http://www.nepalexpress.com.np/info/festivals/rato-machhendranath.php
What was of interest to me about the whole structure was that this year, it looked very wobbly and I asked about it falling over. Apparently it has fallen over a couple times in the last decade and when it falls, it is a very bad omen for that area of the city. One year, it fell on some power lines in a very narrow street and the whole area was without power for days.
At the base of the tower there is a small opening for a temple priest to sit in and receive the offerings of the people. Other men run along side the chariot collecting the offerings and passing them up to the priest. The offerings seemed to be anything, but mostly food. The chariot does not travel very fast. This year it took about two full weeks to make the trip. In spite of it's slow speed, people do give those massive wheels a wide berth.
The chariot made it's complete circuit this year without falling over,but it did not end up in an open field. This year it ended up on the north side of the zoo (I live on the south side) and believe me, the festival was very loud. The streets were crammed with people and a huge market sprung up during the festivities. It was a big, noisy celebration!Today, five days later, I walked through the area and saw a crew dismantling the whole thing. It was a sad testament to the whole state of affairs really. But I suppose most folks around here see it as another year of success.
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| The wheels of the chariot are massive. |
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| These men had climbed up and were dismantling the tower. The rope is actually there to keep it upright as they take it apart. |
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