Month-long Gunla festival begins (photos)

KATHMANDU: The month-long Gunla festival, observed by Buddhists of the Newar ethnicity, began on Thursday.

Buddhist Chaityas are circumambulated with various traditional instruments during the Gunla festival, which lasts a month from Gunlathwa Paru to Janlathwa Paru of Nepal Sambat.

On the occasion of the Gunla festival, which began today, a fair was conducted in Swayambhu.

There is a tradition of playing nine instruments, particularly during the Gunla festival.

Gunla festival is primarily a Buddhist pilgrimage celebration, but people of other faiths attend as well.

During the Gunla festival, Buddhist pilgrims circumambulate Swayambhu Maha chaitya on a daily basis, as well as other chaityas in the valley, including Patan’s Pulchowk.

Nyakun instrument is the primary attraction of the Gunla festival. This instrument is crafted from a rhinoceros horn.

On this occasion, Jethunarayan Maharjan, who came to Swayambhu to participate in the festival, said that it is a festival where people can relax after finishing farming and exchange happiness in keeping with other festivals. He said that every day from now on for a month, he will perform Chaitya Parikrama with instruments from tole. He said that this festival is celebrated by worshipping Buddha for a month.

In recent times, there has been an increase in the trend of celebrating Gunla festival with various original items. According to which, there is a practice of circumambulating Chaitya as well as the local gods and goddesses such as Ganesha, Bhimsen Bhairav, and other deities by playing dha baja, bansuri baja, dhime baja, bhusya baja. Also, communities other than Buddhists also go to circumambulate the Chaityas on the occasion of the Gunla festival.