Bhaktapur Gaijatra
Gai Jatra is now not limited only to Kathmandu and to Newar only. Gai Jatra is such a beautiful festival. Its concept is unique. That it has become renowned all over Nepal. It is celebrated not only in Kathmandu Lalitpur. It is celebrated equally with the same joy in Bhaktapur and Kirtipur.
It is celebrated in pokhara and dolakha. In short, it is celebrated all over Nepal in its way. Amongst them, gai Jatra celebrated in bhaktapur is very famous and has it’s own specialty and peculiarities.
Table of Contents
- Introduction about Gai Jatra Festival of Nepal
- Importance of GaiJatra
- Who Started Gai Jatra In Nepal
- Essay on Gai Jatra
- Bhaktapur Gaijatra
- Nepali Comedy Gai Jatra
- Why is gai Jatra celebrated?
- When is Gai Jatra Celebrated?
- Famous Gai Jatra Video
In bhaktapur a chariot is built out of bamboo. The chariot is called Taha-Macha. It is then covered with HakuPatashi.
Hakupatashi used to be theformal Wear for the women of newarigroup.It is black in color with red border. Haku is the newari word for black in color.
Patashi is also the Newari word for saree. Saree is the traditional dress of women in Nepal. So the chariot taha macha is wrapped around by the hakupatashi and the photo of the dead ones are placed in front of the chariot.
The chariot then is navigated along the predefined streets by the related families. The locals of Bhaktapur have also joined them. The long parade of the chariots with all the colorful decorations are seen on the streets of Bhaktapur.
The Taha-Machas are brought out from different toles of Bhaktapur. But the main important chariot or taha macha is known as Bhailya Dya. This is the chariot of God Bhairava which is another incarnation of God Shiva. This chariot is then succeeded by the chariot Ajima dya.
Ajima is the goddess Durga and the wife of lord shiva. Dya is the newari word for goddess or god. This chariot is made at khala the houseof Ajima. The chariots have respective statues of God in the center.
They are then pulled by thousands of locals and placed in the definite place. Then in the evening Local artists and musicians perform.
The festival there is celebrated for seven days till Krishna janmastami the day when lord Krishna was born.
Another specialty of Bhaktapur Gai Jatra that you can’t see in any other region is the Ghinta Ghisi. It is a special dance done in a long queue with two persons in a row, hitting the sticks that they carry with the opposite person.
The longest period of gai Jatra is celebrated in bhaktapur. The festival is more satirical and entertaining in bhaktapur.
