Kumari-Indra jatra is a festival, all about rejoice, feasting and fanfare among the indigenous Newar community , sequentially in events of several cultural values. This festival has been continued since a long time back, with certain norms and events that were supposed to be continued further. With the down fall of the Shah kingship, here is how the festival staged out.
The day of the jatra was rejoiced by the Newar community, the traditional dances were displayed the same way it used to be, the same way as in times of kingship. A long tree log (yoshi) selected after certain assortment was set up, announcing the commencement of the festival-only now it stands upon the land of the republic.
In yesteryears, the programme would advance with the succesive feliciation of the only living godess of Nepal, i.e Kumari by the King. However this year the event was a bit different. The feliciation was scheduled to be organized at Basantapur initially but after the government's decision of barring ex-king Gyanendra's outgoing from his resident Nirmal Niwas, the feliciation was organised within the premises of Nirmal Niwas. His prohibition was explained by the government citing his own security reasons and probable clash between the pro-monarch and anti monarch. However the government never tried to recruit security to the ex-king. The chairperson of WYHF (World Youth Hindu Federation), Mr. Rajan Maharjan managed to take the kumaris along with other virgin girls to the function organized within the residency of the former king Gyanendra. It is learnt from certain sources that they were transported in seven taxis and some in private bikes. He even criticized the government for keeping the ex-king off Basantapur from the event. He further warned the government that the cancellation of the visit of the ex-king would even result in the barring of the president and the prime minister from the festival.
Now, leaving the political aspects and tangling issues of the jatra, lets focus over the rejoicing facet of the event.
The chariots were set up and the living idols of Lord Ganesha, Bhairab and Kumari were placed on to the chariots among thousands of gazers. Amidst the roaring applause and the harmonious beats, the three chariots were raced on the paved stone path.
Some hundred people pulling the chariots, shouting, applauding and cheering; but all those were pretty easy on the year. The gurju ko paltan (the army men of the times of Prithivi B.B Shahdev) were patrolling the pavement and with them patrolled the traditional instrument players. Everything seemed organized, unified and exulting; though deficient of actual practice-enrollment of the ex-king.
Three days and three electrifying chariot pulling event, each day started with a gun firing from the gurju ko paltan and ended with the episode where the chariot puller would rest the chariot and then would drink liquor pouring out of the idol of the Hindu deity Shwet-Bhairab. The icon of the Shwet-Bhairab is put on display only once a year. To miss a chance to see the deity is to wait for a year, and trust me the wait is worth the glance of the glory.
With the end of the jatra, i saw rejoice and along with it the dynamism in the Newari culture. I have seen how it was supposed to be staged and i saw how it has been staged, and after all I can conclude our culture is taking a dynamic turnabout. So, how good is it to let our culture be affected by the dynamic political assets? The jatra concluded without the ex-king, with the exposure of the incompetent government which could not provide security but was absymal enough to bar a citizen from a social function. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation should have been more concerned. I hope if the ministry would me more just.
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