The longest-running festival of Nepal Rato Machhindranath Jatra

Nepal is a beautiful small country but it has a multicultural and multiethnic group of people who have existed for the long years. Nepal is a country of the mountains but is also multicultural too. Nepal is the home of the temple or it is a country of the temple. Hindu devotees, they are worshiping the crystal stone as an incarnation of God so we have more variations of culture, traditions, festivals, local Jatra, and many more which have been insisted on since the ancient periods. In Nepal, there is the125 different ethnic group of people and 123 different spoken languages who have more cultural aspects and beliefs. Every community has their own unique cultures and traditions they are following. Some of them are similar to another community but some are really unique and different. The national festivals and cultural parts are the glories of Nepal. From where one can understand the prehistory and ancient culture of Nepal.

Bisket Jatra, Buddha Jayanti, Ghodejatra, Mahashivaratri, Holi, Machhindranathjatra, Krishnajanmaastami, Teej, Gai jatra, Indra jatra, Dashain, Tihar, Chhath, Lhosar, and Maghesakranti are the major festivals of Nepal. Each and every festival they have important meanings and they have links with myths and legends. Every festival in Nepal has legends and stories behind it. Probably there are not any temples or festivals without any traditional myths and legends. Among them, the Rato Machhindranath festival is related to the rain of Kathmandu Valley. Rato machhindranath festival is one of them which marks in Nepal every year the month of Jestha( May June) according to the lunar calendar of Nepal. Local Newar people called it Bhotejatra, Jawalajatra, and Pwankalan jatra. Normally this festival celebrates or marks the rains for the crops. Nepal is an agricultural country so without rain or irrigation, it will not be good for the crops no more good harvest. Normally the months of June and July are the starting times of planting in Nepal for showing the seeds of rice, millets, and many more for production.

Summer is the main season for planting seeds for production in Nepal. So the festival Ratomachhindranath jatra is associated with the rain of Kathmandu valley. Once upon a time, the people from Kathmandu were suffering from drought and at that time the king and local people worshiped the God Ratomachhindranath then they got more rain for agriculture. So, since that period Ratomachhindranath festival has been dedicated to the Kathmandu Valley rain God. This festival is one of the long days celebrating the festival of Kathmandu. Normally it is celebrated for 14 days in different places in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan. This festival is celebrated in the hopes of achieving the rain for the crops and for the good harvest. It will finish when they show the Bhoto(bejeweled vest) at Jawalakhel. By showing the Bhoto it will end for the next year.

In These festivals, the main attractions are pulling 32 feet long chariot of Rato Machhindranath from the different parts of the Patan and displaying the Bhoto (bejeweled vest) a piece of clothing with a diamond to the public at Jawalakhel Lalitpur. To celebrate this festival the local Newar people of Kathmandu make a huge 32 feet of high chariot made from wood, bamboo, and cane with big two wooden wheels. With the help of the ropes, they pull the huge Chariot of Rato Machhindranath in different places in Patan. First, they pull from the Pulchok through Gabahal, Mangalbazar, Hakha, Sundhara, Chakrabahal, and Lagankhel and finally, they keep at Jawalakhel near Patan Durbar Square. From where they decide the good time for showing the Bhoto(bejeweled vest). To mark this festival there is the participation of the head of the state and Kumari (living Goddess) attend.

Why every year they are displaying the Bhoto?

The question may arise, So legends tell that Once upon a time there was a Newar farmer or peasant who worked hard for a living or survival. Once he received a bejeweled vest from the Kornatoka ( god of the snake) after helped him. That present he had kept safely in his house. But one day his Bhoto was stolen from his house and he became so sad. Once when he was participating in the Rato Machhindra Jatra at that time he saw a man with his Bhoto which was stolen. He was confused, and there was a dispute about this finally the head of the state declared that, until the real person would not come with the evidence to collect this Bhoto it would belong to the priest of Rato Machhindranath safely Bungamati. Since that time every year, they have shown that piece of Bhoto or cloth which is attached to the piece of diamonds to the public every year to mark this festival. So since the 6th or 7th-century reign of Lichchhavi king Narendra Dev. Present-day it exists as a major festival of Katmandu. During this festival, all the government offices remain on holiday to celebrate Ratomachhindra Jatra.
Rato Macchindranath festivals describe the cultures, history, and civilization of Kathmandu Valley. For those who want to see the festivals, cultures, and civilization of Nepal then it will be the great travel in Nepal for the pilgrimage tour. Bungmati and Khokan have the typical Newar villages for a long time. So one can explore the day tour at Khokana to understand the Newar village from the close and to see the way of living around Khokana and Bungamati which is one of the tourist destinations from the Kathmandu or Patan Durbar Square UNESCO world heritage sites of Nepal.