कलिगत संम्बत ३४०० अगाडि राजा वरदेवले ललितपुरकाे रक्षा हेतु स्थापना गरेको ब्रह्मायणि हाे।याे पिठ काठमाडौ र ललितपुरको सिमानामा रहेकाे छ।याे देवी राँगा माथि सवार छिन।यहाँ मल्लकालमा धन्वन्तरिकाे मूर्ति स्थापना गराएको भनिन्छ ।
धन्वन्तरि भएकाे कारणले यश वाराहिलाइ धन्वन्तरि वाराहि भनिन्छ । याे मन्दिर पाटनकाे ज्वागलमा छ।
१७०१ अगाडि राजा वरदेवले ललितपुरकाे रक्षा हेतु स्थापना गरेको ब्रह्मायणि हाे।याे पिठ काठमाडौ र ललितपुरको सिमानामा रहेकाे छ।याे देवी हाँस माथि सवार छिन।
दिपंखा अाउदा पनि याे पिठ लिनु पर्छ।
Purnachandi(siddhi laxmi)
Matya is a typical Buddhist festival of Nepal. In Newar, it means the Festival of lights. It is, however, quite different from Deepawali which the Hindus celebrate every year in November. Matya beings early in its morning on the third day of the dark fortnight of Sharawan (August-September).
There is a very interesting story about the origin of this festival:
Buddhists have a tremendous respect for this festival. Therefore, they celebrate it with great feast and fun. They highly regard it as an unforgettable day as all the maras surrendered themselves to the all-compassionate Buddha and confessed their sins.
Matya is marked by a long parade of the enthusiastic shrine-walkers who go round all the Buddhist shrines scattered in and around the city of Patan. It must be noted that Patan alone has over 1,300 Buddhist shrines. The offerings of rice grains, flowers, red powders, sweets, incense and guru patra (a gift cup for teacher) are quite common. However, offering oil or butter lamps to Lord Buddha on this auspicious day is a dominant feature. It signifies great enlightenment obtained by overcoming the maras (temptations).Once Shakya muni Gautam was in deep penance to attain nirvana. The maras were determined to break his concentration and ame down in different guises to detract him. Some garbed themselves as fierce-looking demons, some as apsaras (damsels or fairies) and so on. They all made every possible attempt to seduce him but all in vain. Instead, Shakya Mini overcame the maras and became the Buddha, the Enlightened One. It is said that on, the maras came to confess their sins to Lord Buddha and worrshipped him with great honour. Every since, this festival is believed to have come into existence to mark Buddha's victory over them much as Deepawali marks Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana.
The expression of this story can be found in Matya. All those devil dancers, the apsara actors and several other funny mask-wearers who are the part and parcel of the festive parade are said to represent the maras. This parade is always accompanied by several groups of musicians playing various kinds of traditional Nepalese musical instruments. The route prescribed for this parade looks quite confusing yet accepted as the most perfect and shortest. The parade is supposed to move on in an unbroken chain. This is the only way for all the shine-walkers not to get lost before they complete this religious journey. The entire parade is led by one of the group of musicians.
Interestingly, ten different neighbourhoods of Patan have long been running the parade. The responsibility of organizing it goes to each of these neighbourhoods once in every ten years. Traditionally, the sponsoring tole must train a team of traditional drurn-players who are expected to display every skill in the public. Known as Naubaja Khala, they perform the show in a very special way only at the member toles devoted to this Matya festival. It is quite exciting to see the way they go round the town and perform this typical musical event with great enthusiasm. Some of the drums that are used for the occasion are so richly decorated that people sometimes mistake them for temple treasures.
Nepalese people have great respect for Nagapanchami Day, which falls every year on the fifth day of bright fortnight of Shrawan (July-August). They celebrate it by posting colorful portraits of nagas (serpents) on the walls above the main doorways.
Nagapanchami has very ancient origin. The tradition of serpent-worship seems to have originated from the Dravidian culture. So this tradition is in its basic from very non-Vedic. The Aryans did not initially worship the snakes. They were always afraid of the snakes and tried by all means to keep them away. The Vedas have very little to say in praise of serpent-gods. (There is a reference about an interesting method of neutralising snake venom in the Rigveda. Taittiriya Samhita prescribes snake sacrifice for one's peace, protection and prosperity.) It was only in the puranic period that the Aryans made some rooms for the snakes in their religious functions. But later, the Puranas started speaking very highly of the significance of the serpent-worship. And thus the tradition of serpent-worship came to be recognized as an integral part of the Vedic religion.
The Puranas have plenty of verses devoted to the nagas. To illustrate, the Garuda Purana says that worshipping of the nagas on the Nagapanchami Day brings peace and prosperity to the devotees. The Skanda Purana says that if one offers cow milk to the snakes on this day one is sure to be safe from snakebites for the whole year. The Bhavishya Purana says that one who worships the nagas with single minded devotion will always be able to keep the thunder away.
Another reason is that the Kathmandu Valley has long been regarded as the legendary lake home of the nagas. Karkotak, their king, is still believed to be living in Taudaha lake, about seven miles south of the Kathmandu city. Kathmandu Valley was also called Nagarhida, which means the ancient abode of the nagas.In any case, the Nagapanchami Day reminds us that many snakes by nature are poisonous and dangerous. And yet, they are very useful to the ecosystem as they keep check on pests like rats, insects, etc.
Nepalese people have been maintaining this tradition from time immemorial. Snakes in Nepal are generally belived to roam about in disguise of a certain god or goddess. So when they see a serpent crawling in or around their houses they never forgot to burn some incense in its honour. However, the Nepalese people seem to worship the snakes more as rain-god than as any other gods. One possible reason is that Nepal has long been an agricultural country. More than ninety percent of the people here still depend on agriculture for their livelihood and monsoon rain is still the main source of irrigation for farming. And the legend has it that the nagas are the sole agents of the monsoon and drought. It also talks about Naunaga (nine very important snakes) seated on which Yoga Gorkhanath performed deep penance to stop the rain for twelve long years all over Nepal. So Nepalese farmers always regard nagas as the most powerful water spirits.
Ghantamo or Ghantakarna is one of the most ancieht festivals of Nepal, which comes every year on the fourteenth day of dark forthnight of Shrawan (July- August). This festivals comes first in the series of other festivals to follow round the year. It is interesting to note that this this day is marked as a big day for the boys. Hence it is also known as the 'Festival of Boys'. As a matter of fact, it is always the boys who take the most active part on this occasion.
On this day the effigy of the monster made of reeds is set up at every crossroad. As a legend goes, long time ago, a monster called Ghantakarna came to the Kathmandu Valley to devour people. But before Ho could endanger the inhabitants of the ciyi they killed him. Ever since the Nepalese have been celebrating this day as a big festival. Every neighbourhood has thus one of these monster effigies and a group of boys to look after that. From the very early morning on this day quite a number of them are seen standing round the effigy in the street and collecting jagats (a kind of ceremonial tall) from the passersby and vehicles. With the collection the boys buy things necessary for the funeral of Ghantakarna.
When the evening falls they tie up the effigy with a strong rope, kick it several times and then drag it away shouting wild slogans until they reach a riverbank where they burn it and then throw it away into the water. Then they all come all the way home singing a kind of victory song.
It is said that after Ghantakarna is dragged down to the river nobody is sopposed to be hanging around outside lest the dead monster should come back and avenge his humilitation. So, many elderyly people never forgot to lock up their doors soon after they are the Ghantakarna off. Women sweep the house and throw away the dust suspecting that some evil spirits might be still lingering around it. Some people drive the iron naile on the lintels of their doorways to check the devils from entering their houses. Iron naile are considered very good at checking the advent of evil spirits. People also were iron (finger) rings on this day to safeguard against the attack of the evil spirits.
Although the festival is celebrated all over Nepal, people belonging to different ways following their own local tradition. For example, in Bhadgaon they celebrate it in a manner of mourning whereas Kathmanduites do it with great feelings and fun. The Kathmanduites pick up a boy (from lower class) who is quite strong and skilful. He is dressed like one in mourning and his face painted to make him look like a descendent of Ghantakarna. Then he goes around the neighbourhood to beg for alms for the funeral of 'his grandfather' Ghantakarna. When it gets dark, the funeral rites of the effigy is performed by that boy before finally sitting it on fire and throwing it into the water. This marks the end of the festival.
