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Running over a span of weeks, depending vaguely on astrology, the Rato Macchindranath Chariot festival started in Nepal from Saturday after the "Aajus" or "Priests" carried the "Red God" to the chariot and made him seated.
Chariot procession of Rato Macchendranath, also called as "Bunga Dugh" in Newari, meaning the God of Rain and Harvest, is the longest Jatra in Nepal, which runs on for months depending on astronomy. A 32-foot sky-scrapping chariot of Rato Machhendranath is constructed annually by the Newar community using wooden beams, thumped adjustments to the shrine sanctum without using a single nail. It takes about a week for the community to build it and is given final touch-up with decorative elements before the chairing of the lord in the chariot. Observed in the ancient town of Lalitpur, the sky-scraping chariot goes round the city after 4 days of the ascension of the God. After spending 4 days on the roadside constructed chariot, it is pulled to Ga:Bahal and rested for one day, after that it is pulled onto Sundhara and Mangalbazar where it is kept for one day each. Then, after it is pulled on further to Lagankhel, it is kept on for one day. During that time, the day has been separated for women-only to pull on the chariot and take it to E: thiha, and then, making astronomical calculations it is pulled onto Jawalakhel. It might take more days as the priests have to look onto the auspicious times, sometimes it is holed up there for 10-15 days or even one month or more. After driving it to Jawalakhel and marking on the 'Bhoto Jatra' attended by head-of-state and then the lord is taken back to Bungmati (an ancient historical town of Lalitpur) and the chariot is dismantled. The chariot procession of Rato Macchendranath always starts by the end of April or early May, but the world health pandemic of Coronavirus pushed back the procession multiple times in earlier years. In 2020, the area where the chariot was constructed also turned out to be a battleground as revelers tried to pull the chariot. According to the lunar calendar, the longest chariot festival of Nepal begins on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bachhala, the seventh month in the lunar Nepal Sambat calendar but this year it didn't fall as per the set out rule. One of the popular legend states that once "Guru Gorkhnath" came to city of Patan and wasn't acknowledged by people living on there. As the commoners didn't offer him food and ignored him, Guru Gorakhnath captured all the Serpents and held them captive under his sitting. For being "Naags" or serpents responsible for the precipitation held captive by Guru Gorakhnath, Patan experienced on drought, which drive on famine in the city. Advisors of the then, king of Patan Narendea Dev was asked onto bring the teacher of Gorakhnath- Lord Macchendranath from Assam. Hearing about the teacher's presence in the town, Guru Gorakhnath stood up from his seat letting the serpentines loose which brought in rain in the city ending the drought. Adoring, Rato Macchendranath for his feast, locals of Patan started a chariot procession in the city since 897 AD, which is held annually and taken around the city reminding people about his deeds. The chariot procession of Rato Macchendranath earlier was stalled due to the earthquake of 2015 which went on for nearly half-a-year and the Corona pandemic this year also had invited similar kind of situation. But with the ascension of Lord Macchendranath on Chariot it is expected to go ahead amid the corona scare. There is a belief that residents of Bhaktapur can pull on the chariot to their place and keep the god for 6 months if the procession fails to take place before Dashain- the major fortnight festival observed in Nepal during the month of October. (ANI)
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