Rato Machhindranath’s Bhoto displayed in the presence of President (story/photos)
The chariot festival, which began on Baisakh 11 (April 24), came to an end today with the display of the Bhoto.
KATHMANDU: President Ram Chandra Poudel observed the Bhoto Jatra festival today, a traditional holiday honoring Rato Machchhindranath, the deity of rain and plentiful crop.
This afternoon, the President attended the Bhoto Jatra celebration in Jawalakhel and witnessed the rite of exhibiting the Bhoto (the jewel-studded mythological vest thought to belong to the deity).
As part of the rite, a Guthi Sansthan Lalitpur employee presented the Bhoto from the top of the Rato Machchhindranath deity’s chariot. It is customary to show the Bhoto on the fourth day, when the deity’s chariot is towed in a procession from Lagankhel up to Jawalakhel.
The Head-of-State paid tribute to the Rato Machchhindranath deity and ate prasad on the occasion. On this occasion, he also paid his respects to the living goddess Kumari.
The chariot festival, which began on Baisakh 11 (April 24), came to an end today with the display of the Bhoto.
Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, and government ministers were also present.
A sizable crowd had also assembled in Jawalakhel to celebrate the Bhotojatra festival.
Every year, during the procession to show the Bhoto of Rato Machindranath, the head of the Guthi Sansthan asked, ‘Whose Bhoto is it?’ They have shown that. Not only that, but if he comes with proof, it is also believed that the Bhoto should be given to him.
Story of Bhoto Jatra
A pair of snakes dwelt in Toudah, Kathmandu Valley, according to mythology. The couple in question was the King of Nagas, Karkataka Naga. Nagini’s eyes became infected. While looking for a specialist to heal Nagini’s eyes, the king discovered that there was a knowledgeable Jyapu doctor in Bhaktapur. Karkotak Naga went in search of Jyapu Vaidya. Naga inquired about Nagini’s eye pain with Jyapu. Jyapu Vaidya granted the snake’s request, and both of them arrived in Toudah.
Vaidya prepared an ointment and applied it to Nagini’s eyes. Nagini’s eyes had been cured. Naga-Nagini was overjoyed and lavished Jyapu Vaidya with gifts. A sparkling Bhoto with various stones was also among the gifts. Jyapu Vaidya used to accompany that Bhoto on his walks. Ghost became greedy after seeing Jyapu’s Bhoto. When Jyapu removed Bhoto and began digging the field, the ghost stole it and carried it away. The Vaidya tried to chase the ghost, but failed as the ghost was too quick and cleaver for the farmer who had all but given up.
Previously, the only custom in Patan was to pull Matsyendranath’s chariot. The valley people and ghosts came to observe Matsyendranath’s chariot being drawn and brought to Jawalakhel at this time. Jyapu went to see if the ghost who had stolen the Bhoto would also attend the celebration. Needless to say, Ghost had arrived to the fair dressed in a flashy Bhoto. That ghost used to appear and then vanish. Vaidya suddenly grasped the ghost’s arm from behind. He requested his Bhoto from the ghost. The ghost disagreed. The two got into a heated argument. King Guna Kamadev also visited Matsyendranath and the Jatra. After a heated argument, the king’s bodyguard forced them to appear before the king.
‘Maharaj, he stole the Bhoto that Karkataka Naga gave to me,’ Vaidya told the king. The ghost revealed to the king what he had discovered in the cornfield. Guna Kamadev, a pious and holy ruler, is said to have asked the priest of Matsyendranath to retain the Bhoto until a decision was made.
Jyapu Vaidya arrived at the Toudah coast and met Karkataka Naga as proof. Naga stated that he, too, would assume the human form and dress in white to observe the Matsyendranath Jatra. ‘When I arrive, the storm will be raging. “I’ll also appear taller than others,” Karkatak Naga said.
It has been three days since Matsyendranath’s chariot arrived in Jawalakhel. Jyapu arrived at Jawalakhel early in the hopes of obtaining Bhoto. King Guna Kamadev also attended. For a long, the wind blew, but Vaidya couldn’t figure out who was taller than the others. The monarch commanded that the four sides of the Matsyendranath chariot demonstrate whose Bhoto it was, but the belief that no one stepped up with witness evidence to take that Bhoto continues in Nepal.
Thus, the tradition of displaying the Bhoto in the presence of country leaders on the fourth day of Rato Machindranath’s Jatra has remained to this day.
This is the reason why the bhoto is shown on the last day of Rato Machhindranath Jatra to the public in presence of Patan’s Kumari and the President, the head of state (previously it used to be the King before abolition of monarchy system in Nepal) in a hope that the owner will come forward with the evidence to claim it.
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