Recently I came
across some interesting events which makes me wonder if the world was one and
man broke it up into different countries. Similarities in festivals across
borders have always been fascinating and here I will write about one such
festival which has strong resemblance to one of our festivals, i.e. the
Rath-yatra of Lord Jagannath, Puri, in Odisha.
Nepal is known
for its picturesque beauty and is a Hindu nation, so it is not uncommon to find
Hindu gods and goddesses and temples in that country. The famous Pashupatinath Temple
and a few Shakti-peeths are well
known pilgrimages which have their own myths. Nepal is also a Buddhist centre
of pilgrimage and there are numerous centres for the Buddhist belief. However,
what has drawn my attention is a recent chariot-festival in the country which
is known as Rato Machhindranath Yatra which is an important festival for
both Hindus as well as Buddhists of Nepal.
Rato
Machhindranath, “Rato” means red and
“Machhindra” means fish which is
derived from “machhindra” or “matsendra” and finally “nath” meaning god. Rato Machhindranath
is a red coloured deity and is a god of rain in Nepal and is worshipped just
before the monsoon starts. Nepal is an agricultural country and farming being
the mainstay of close to 80% of the local population, lends credence to the
significance of rain. The deity is worshipped to ensure a good monsoon and
prevent a drought.
An interesting
myth is associated with the deity. According to a legend, Gorakhnath, a
renowned disciple of the deity visited the valley, and was upset at the lack of
importance given to him. He then caused a drought by taking away all the
rain-making snakes with him. The troubled Nepalese then prayed and begged of the
deity to save them. The deity was in Assam, India, at that time, and on hearing
the pleas, came to Nepal in the form of a bee. On learning that his deity was
in Nepal, Gorakhnath had to release all the snakes to pay his tribute thus
causing rain and also learning a lesson of humility in the process.
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| Rato Machindranath Yatra |
The high point
of the festival is the building of a huge three-storied chariot where a replica
of the deity is housed and pulled by hundreds of believers. The chariot is
taken all over the city of Patan in Nepal and the journey lasts for a few weeks
which are earmarked for celebration. The journey is accompanied with beats of
the traditional drums and cymbals. This aspect of the festival is common to the
famous Ratha-yatra of Puri, Odisha.
In the earlier
days, the King of Nepal used to flag off the yatra, again a similarity to the Puri-yatra, where even today the
descendants of the erstwhile royal family sweep the ratha, i.e. the chariot before the beginning of the journey.
One of the
important rituals of the Rato Machhindranath Yatra is the pouring of water on
the deity. Four priests with silver jars stand in four directions with the
deity in the centre. At the signal of the chief priest all four priests lift
their jars and pour water on the deity. The priest who manages to pour water
first, would enable good monsoon and better crops in the said direction!
Rato
Machhindranath is worshipped by both the Hindus and Buddhists. The Buddhists
consider him to be their Avalokiteshwara
or Lokeshwara, the Bodhissatva of compassion or Bunga Deo, i.e. the god of agricultural
prosperity. The Hindus consider him to be a form of Lord Vishnu (reference of Matsya avatar of Lord Vishnu). A popular
version considers him to be a god who was brought in from Assam by a local
farmer to ensure good monsoon in Nepal.
The Nepalese are
also worshippers of the Naga’s, i.e. the snake-gods. The reference of
rain-making snakes in the earlier myth shows how well every section of
religious beliefs has been weaved into this festival. The locals believe that
during the festival and the rituals, the Nagas, rain-making snakes observe the
entire proceedings from the clouds.
Next we will read about another
Ratha-yatra which used to take place continents away from ours.
Keep reading….
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