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Bhoto Jatra rules Patan roost
KATHMANDU, JUN 27 -
The owner of the valuable Bhoto still remains a mystery as no one in the crowd claimed to have the evidence that could prove the possession of the old bejeweled vest.
The last day of this year’s month-long Rato Machhendranath Jatra in Patan was celebrated on Sunday by displaying the bhoto to the crowd gathered in Jawalakhel. President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav graced the exhibition. From the chariot of the Machhendranath, the bhoto is shown to the mass thrice in all the four cardinal directions.
According to legends and myths, the auspicious day fêted as Bhoto Jatra is celebrated to look for the real owner of the bhoto which was lost once upon a time by a Jyapu farmer of Kathmandu.
Bhoto Jatra celebration dates back to the 13th century. A Tibetan pilgrim known as Dharma Swami has mentioned the demonstration of bhoto in Kathmandu in his travelogue.
According to one of the legends, the black velvet, jeweled vest (bhoto) was given to a Jyapu farmer by Karkotaka Naga in reward for curing eye ailment of his queen. But soon, the bhoto got stolen. After sometime when the farmer was attending Machhendranath festival at Jawalakhel, he saw someone wearing the same vest. A quarrel ensued between the farmer and the man wearing the vest. Karkotaka Naga was also at the festival in human disguise.
He settled the quarrel and submitted the bhoto to Machhendranath declaring that whoever produced evidence could take back the vest. But as none of them could produce proofs, it was put on a public display in the Jatra.
“It has become a part of our culture by now,” said Yagya Ratna Shakya, one of the priests of the Machhendranath Temple at Bungamati of Patan. “This will
go on even though everyone knows that no one is going to claim the vest.”
On regular days, the bhoto is packed, sealed and kept along with Machhendranath’s statue under the custody of the temple’s priest, says priest Shakya. There are altogether 31 appointed priests for the temple, and their duty rotates every 15 days.
The office head of the Guthi Sansthan of Patan Division has the responsibility of displaying the sacred vest.
“The hidden essence of this story is as important as the physical aspect,” observes culture expert Padam Shrestha. “This is trying to convey that public property should not be misused by the state. It is the state’s responsibility to take care of the public assets.”
Posted on: 2010-06-28 09:12
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