Machchhindra Jatra
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| Machhindra nath lingo |
This historically significant festival celebrates Machchhindra, the guardian deity of Nepal. Ceremonies commences on the 1st of Baisakh, when the idol is bathed in holy water in the Bagmati. It is then taken to Patan, mounted on a large rath or car and a shrine is placed with carvings and flowers. The whole procession may take up to a week and the idol of Machchhindra is displayed in Patan for a month, before taken back to the Bagmati and placed back in its home temple in Kathmandu. The day that it is returned is referred to as Gudrijhar and the blanket of the idol is symbolically shaken to reveal its emptiness to represent contentment, despite poverty.
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| Machhindranath and the priest |
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