The Moving Temples of Kathmandu Valley - Part I
The moving temple of Seto Matsyendranath
When King Gunakamadeva created a new city north of Lalitpur, it was a sight to behold. He named it 'Suvarna- pranali- Kantipur' (Wright, 1990, p.154). The monarch, however, was not satisfied. He greatly missed Matsyendra of Lalitpur, his glorious temple in Bunga and the chariot festival. He wished for his new city to have something similar.
"Then, in imitation of the Lokeswara jatra of Patan, he made an image of Khasarppa Lokeswara, and caused his jatra to be celebrated every year." (Wright, 1990, p.155)
A shikhara style temple within the Hambal monastery housed Khasarppa Lokeswara. During the last years of the Lichhavi era of Nepal Mandala (Ancient Nepal), Mukunda Sena, King of Palpa, attacked this valley. "The victorious soldiers broke and disfigured the images of the gods, sent the Bhairava placed in front of Machchindranatha to their own country, Palpa and Butawal." (Wright, 1990, p.171)
The Bhairab stolen from the Hambal monastery today is known as Tansen Bhairab. The shikhara temple and monastery were in ruins. In the aftermath, people found that the statue was lost. Hundreds of years later, during the reign of Yaksha Malla, it was discovered by potters looking for clay. King Yaksha recognised the ancient idol when it was brought to the palace by them.
From here on, it became Yamaleswara.
The site of its rediscovery was renamed Yamal (today is known as Jamal) by the monarch. "The king, having seen the image, performed the rituals of renovation; took the image inside the city and established it by building a large temple." (Bajracharya et al., 2016, p. 90)
He built a mammoth temple in the cortex of Jana Baha in Ket Twah. During the reign of his son Pratapa the grounds of Hambal monastery was converted into a pond. The temple was rebuilt but housed a different deity. "Pratapa Malla, then rebuilt the chariot of Lokesvara, the white Matsyendra, according to tradition. He had Lokesvara placed on the chariot and initiated an annual procession that moved the chariot around the city." (Bajracharya et al., 2016, p. 106)
From then on, the image was called white (seto) Matsyendra.
Members of various communities tasked with creating the chariot finish the building process by Chaitya Dashain. On this day, the idol is placed on a palanquin and brought to Durbarmarg. A traditional musical ensemble leads the march. A loud cheer erupts once the parade reaches the area.
The statue is placed within the chariot by the caretakers. A military regiment dressed in traditional Gurkha uniform offers salutations. Three muskets perform an aerial salute once the wheels make their first spin.
The revellers pull it to Asan Chowk. In the next two days, the chariot circumvents the traditional route and reaches Lagan. It circles the mother tree thrice. After which, the festival comes to an end.
The festival falls on the following days in 2021 AD.
Day 1 of chariot festival - Durbarmarg- Bhota Hiti- Asan - 20th April 2021
Day 2 of chariot festival - Asan - Indra Chowk- Basantapur - 21st April 2021
Day 3 of chariot festival - Basantapur- Maru- Jasi Dewal- Lagan - 22nd April 2021
References
Wright, D. (1990). History of the kingdom of Nepal. Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1877)
Bajracharya, M., Gutschow, N., & Michaels, A. (2016). Nepālikabhūpavaṃśāvalī (History of Kings of Nepal): Vols. 1 (Introduction and Translation) (First edition). Himal Books.