Bhaktapur [Nepal], April 10 : The ancient Taumadhi Square of Bhaktapur was lively on Thursday, with revelers and devotees congregating to watch the Biska Jatra, which, according to folklore, signals the arrival of the Nepali New Year.
One of the popular religious festivals of the Kathmandu Valley, the festival starts with the ascension of Lord Bhairab onto a chariot built in front of the Nayatapola temple, the tallest temple in Nepal. The three-storey chariot made of wood in the pagoda style is pushed and pulled around the settlements with the statues of Bhairavnath and Betal as a part of this festival.
Two groups of locals struggle to pull on the chariot to either side. This festival of cultural and historical importance is celebrated for nine days and eight nights.
"Lord Bhairab is ascended on the chariot. Goddess Bhadrakali's chariot has already been pulled. After the ascension of Lord Bhairab on the chariot, two groups pull the chariot to take it to either of their sides. Whosoever is able to pull onto their sides, the chariot will tour from that place. The chariot makes a stopover at various places, finally reaching its destination," Ganeshlal, one of the devotees in Bhaktapur, told ANI.
On the first day, Lord Bhairab (Bhaila Kha:) ascends on a chariot and tours the city. It is pulled by two groups, one on the upper side of Nyatapola Temple and the other on the lower side. The tug-of-war continues for hours and days. It finally rests in front of a temple near the Nyatapola and is worshipped by all.
Believed to have started from the Malla Dynasty, Biska Jatra formally starts four days before the start of the Nepali New Year.
Biska, in the Newari language, means killing snakes. As a part of tradition, it is shown every year in an open field some meters down from the Nyatapola temple. A pole called Halimpata is erected, and a snake is tied onto it, which is kept there to show the public as part of the celebration.
On the eve of Nepali New Year, a huge lingo (a sacred pole) is erected, and two long pieces of cloth hang upon it to represent the dead snakes. The next day, the pole is pulled down, and Nepali New Year officially commences.
Biska Jatra is the only festival that does not follow the lunar-based Nepali Calendar. It commences after a special Tantric ritual is performed in the Bhairab Temple in Taumadhi Tole in Bhaktapur.
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