Rato Machhendranath: the rain and paddy festival

I witnessed one of the biggest festivals in Nepal, called Rato Machhendranath. A month prior two chariots (one big, one small) were made and put in Patan, the city south of Kathmandu. Then a priest chooses a holy day when the chariots are pulled to Jawalakhel and will be on display there for some time. This is a Newari (Kathmandu valley indigenous tribe) festival for the rain and paddy.

The holy day happened to fall on June 21^st, a Thursday, the day right before I went off to Pokhara. I must say I was glad it worked out that way. It was quite an experience. Dr Subarna, director of my project, has a neighbor who owns a shop right above where the chariot passes, so we were lucky to be able to use it.

The chariots would have to reach Jawalakhel by 7pm, pulled across a distance of about 1km. To make sure we would not miss anything, we left the office by 4pm. Some roads were closed around 4.30pm so the chariot could pass. When we arrived at Patan around 5pm, the crowd had already started to thicken. FD suggested that we go down the street to see some pujas and the chariot. Unfortunately the crowd was so thick there, and FD didn’t want us trampled, so we didn’t get in…

However, we saw the Patan Kumari. Kumaris are living goddesses – there are many Kumaris in Kathmandu. The most notable Kumari lives in the Kathmandu Durbar Square, but I guess the Patan Kumari is also pretty powerful. Kumaris are selected from young girls before menarche (usually age 3-5) from the Newari caste. She has to fulfill some birth criteria and has to demonstrate unquestionable bravery. She is put in a room of slaughtered animals for a night, and has to remain calm in it. After the selection committee agrees on a Kumari, she is thought to contain the spirit of a certain goddess. Many people, especially women with menstrual problems, visit her to receive her blessings. She doesn’t talk nor smile and maintains a blank expression. She will continue to be the Kumari until she bleeds… menstruation or cuts or… leech bites.

Okay I can go on and on about the Kumari but here are some pictures:

Kumari looking at her subjects

Part of the crowd... that extends!

Although we couldn’t see the chariot from street level, we saw some interesting things. Many vendors were selling street snacks and Nepali toys for children. As most of us in the party looked white, street vendors were tailing us hoping to get some business…

Vendor selling Nepali flute

The chariot is very tall. To ensure that the chariot makes its way through, some wires and banners had to be cut. Apparently it’s more important that the chariot makes it than if the wire hits a pedestrian on the street… I sure hope the rain & paddy God would protect the people from being hit by a live wire.

Cutting the wire..

Ready...

Cut!

The chariot must be kept straight and not hit any buildings. If not it is considered to be bad luck. Hence they have men standing on top of the swaying chariot making sure that none of the buildings are hit. It must be such a brave act to go on top. I would feel soooo nauseous looking down.

I feel anxious for the guy standing there...

So we decided we won’t be able to see anything from street level anymore, and ascended the stairs to the rooftop of Dr Subarna’s neighbor’s shop. Now we had a clearer view of what was going on. There were musicians playing sort of Nepali music and dancing and people with thikas (red dot on forehead, symbolizes blessing) and people pouring rice flour on each other.

Those in red shirts were dancing

A band!

Music and dancing!

A troop of soldiers in traditional uniform marching down the streets… and stopped right in front of the building we were on! Several ladies went up shyly to take pictures with the soldiers.

Soldiers in traditional clothing

And then the chariot comes! At first we heard the roaring voice of men. The crowd moved aside to let the hundred strong young men, selected from the community, pull the chariot. There was a guy sitting on the “horse” of the chariot, commanding the young men. It must be a great honor to pull the chariot, let alone be the commander. The chariot was so tall. It was taller than the building we stood on! Words alone cannot indicate how big the chariot is, so:

The chariot! Super tall...

Closer shot..

Even closer.. Gosh I can't even capture it in one shot now.

The top

The crowd

The chariot is wrapped in some sort of leaf. Some people were sitting in the chariot. I still don’t know who they are, but they looked like this:

Strong men pulling the chariot

People sitting in the chariot.. I wonder who they are..

Apparently the Kathmandu Kumari sits there too.

“Is there another chariot?” I turned to ask FD.

“Oh yes, but it’s a smaller one. It’s like the assistant chariot.”

Then I heard high pitched, female-like voices roaring to the left of me. I turned around, and saw the other chariot! There were about a hundred young boys, about 10 years old, pulling the chariot. That’s why I thought I heard “women” shouting. The commander looked at most 15. It was so adorable, seeing the little “men” pulling the little chariot.

Young men pulling the small chariot!

The small chariot. Not as tall (shorter than the buildings), but still pretty impressive!

So the chariot made it to Jawalakhel by 6.45pm. A close call! But now at least Nepal will have enough rice for another year…