Bhaktapur braces for Bisket Jatra festival

BHAKTAPUR: The stage is all set for the Bisket Jatra festival here in this ancient town.

The Bisket Jatra is a famous festival with cultural and historical significance which commences with the start of the Nepali New Year, every year. It is celebrated for eight nights and nine days.

This year, the festival begins on April 10. The Bisket Jatra is among the many cultural and religious festivals celebrated in the country.

On the first day of the festival, the chief deity, Bhairavnath, and the Betal deity are installed on a three-storey temple built in the Pagoda style mounted on a chariot. This chariot is then towed from the premises of the Five-storey Temple to the ancient Thane (Upper) and the Kwane (Lower) streets of the town. The festival formally commences with the pulling of the chariots of the Bhairavnath and the Bhadrakali deities.

The date and timing of the Bisket Jatra festival is determined as per the solar calendar. This festival has been celebrated since the time of the Lichchhavi period. The festival gets its name from the two words Bi Sit in the Nepal Bhasa language which translates as 'the snake is dead'.

source: the himalayan times,8 April 2013