Janabahaa, the Father's Day Blessing Center

Among the many days of the year that Janabahaa draws a large number of devotees, Bau Ya Khwa Swoyegu (Kushe Aunsi or Father’s Day) is probably the day it is most crowded. To pay homage to their deceased fathers, Newa (Newar) Hindus and Buddhists of Kathmandu throng to Janabahaa from early morning to offer prayers, food and money to Janabahaa Dyo and to receive blessings from priests stationed around the courtyard.

Typically, beaten rice, curd, fruits and sweets are offered to Janabahaa Dyo in memory of one's deceased father on Father's Day, which fell on September 10 this year.

A Bajey (Hindu priest) in Janabahaa offers blessings to a devotee on Father's Day.

A Lama priest (follower of Mahayan Buddhism) recites a prayer on behalf of a devotee after accepting a donation of some rice and money.

 

A Guruju (Vajrayana Buddhism priest) receives alms from a devotee.

Many vendors set up shop in Janabahaa to take advantage of the large crowd that gathers at Janabahaa on Father's Day, like this lady who put up a stall to sell Szechwan pepper (pimpinella anisum).

While providing blessings to devotees, this Hindu priest sold the holy Kush grass (Eragrostis cynosuroides) at his stall. Though used for religious ceremonies by both Hindus and Buddhists throughout the year, Kush is bought and sold only on Father's Day (hence the name Kushe Aunsi).

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Brothers-in-Alms

Led by Dr. Naresh Man Bajracharya (noted tantric priest in the Newar tradition, Director of Buddhist Studies at Tribhuvan University and Fulbright Scholar in Residence, Virginia Commonwealth University), a group of over one hundred Shakyas and Bajracharyas went around different Bahaas and Bahis of Kathmandu to collect alms en masse on the occasion of Panchadaan festival on Monday, September 6, 2010.

This is the fourth year the group alms collection event has been organized to help raise funds for construction of a Vihar in Lumbini. More than a million rupees has been raised from the last three years of the joint alms collection effort.

Panchadaan festival is traditionally celebrated in honor of Dipankar Buddha, and individual members of the Newar Buddhist priest cast (Shakya and Bajracharya) go from house to house to receive offerings given by devotees and to give them blessings.

When the “brothers-in-alms” arrived at Janabahaa, they were warmly welcomed by devotees who were eagerly waiting to give offerings of rice and money, in keeping with the ancient Panchadaan tradition.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Going Green

To add some much needed greenery to this artistically rich, sacred heritage site of Janabahaa, we are adding a number of flower pots around the courtyard. If you wish to be involved in this task in any way, please leave a comment here with your contact details.

Photo by Alok Tuladhar.

Holy Cow! It's the Sa Paru Festival!

Almost all religious and cultural parades that take place during the course of various festivals in Kathmandu pass through the street in front of the main (eastern) entrace of Janabahaa, as it is located between Wongah (Indrachowk) and Ason, two of the most important thoroughfares in the older part of Kathmandu. Observing the Sa Paru (Gai Jatra) festival that fell on August 25 this year from the Janabahaa gate was a real visual treat.

Sa Paru, or Sa Yaa, celebrated in an extravagant manner in the Kathmandu Valley, is amongst the most colorful festivals of Nepal.

The mood in the streets is quite festive.

The local chapter of Rotary Club took advantage of the festival to spread awareness about recycling of household waste.

The Machhindra Rover/Ranger Crew of Nepal Scouts, affiliated to Macchindra Club, was present as usual, helping to distribute drinking water and to keep the area clean.

Cows, wrapped in shiny yellow cloth, are paraded through the city in memory of family members who have passed away over the last year.

Boys, dressed as cows, are often used as replacement of real cows to participate in the festival.

A lady enjoys the festival, sitting on the doorway of the recently rediscovered temple of Padmapani Lokeshwor.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Padmapani Rediscovered

See the little red temple on the right? For decades, everyone thought it was a Narayana temple. Devotees did not have access to it, as it was used as storage space by a "footpath" vendor who has been selling his merchandise on the street immediately in front of the temple.

When the illegitimate street stalls were removed a few weeks ago (see post on that here), the hawker finally agreed to relinquish the temple to the public.

To everyone's surprise, it turned out that a beautiful stone statue of the lotus-bearing Padmapani Lokeshwor was housed inside the little enclosure, and not an image of Narayan.

The temple has now been freshly painted and a board fixed above the gate to proclaim it to be a Lokeshwor temple. The temple is now open for the public.


Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Exterior Up-close (East Face)

Though the overall temple as an edifice is quite impressive even to the most seasoned onlooker, much of the detailed ornamentation on the exterior of the temple, especially on the upper floor, is not visible to the casual visitor, largely due to the muck and grime that has accumulated over decades. Getting closer, however, reveals an amazing array of intricate creations, made of both wood and metal.

The hard-to-see window in the center between the two roofs is metallic, and probably gold-plated.

Many of the objects d'art are accompanied by text in Ranjana or Prachalit script, and remain a reliable and authentic source of our glorious history.

Awe-inspiring images of various Lokeshwors are carved on all of the inclined wooden struts that support the lower and upper roofs.

Colorful, decorative carvings at the bottom of a wooden strut.

Elaborate design on a window that provides ventilation to the upper floor.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

No Kidding

A bunch of kids. A lazy Saturday afternoon. Janabahaa. Perfect ingredients to make Janabahaa abuzz with an hour of hectic activity, fun and educational not only for the energetic kids but also for the lethargic locals.

First, divide the kids into two groups – one group with the younger kids and the other with the older ones. Ask the smaller kids to draw something on the tiled flooring with some sidewalk chalk, and they will not only come up with a big, bright rainbow in no time, but will also manage to pen down a message for the residents and store owners of Janabahaa: “Say No to Poly(thene) Bags.”

Ask the older kids to draw something, and immediately they will come up with an imaginary creature.

And then ask the older kids to find answers to three questions with the help of local people: what are the three names of Janabahaa, what are the three names of the deity who resides in the main temple in Janabahaa, and in which king’s reign was the main temple in Janabahaa built. They will immediately run around the complex, talking to every adult they bump into, and easily find answers to the first two questions.

But even after a good twenty minutes, they cannot come up with the answer to the third question, because none of the locals knew the answer.

Do you?

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Divine Light Rids Janabahaa of Darkness

A pair of panels of photo voltaic cells is the latest addition in Janabahaa. The solar panels charge a truck battery which powers an inverter which in turn powers half a dozen compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) installed inside the Janabahaa complex. Thanks to the addition of a little bit of technology, residents of Janabahaa, and Karunamya Aryavalokiteshwor himself, are shielded from the notorious power cuts that the rest of the country suffers from during the dry months.

Photo by Alok Tuladhar.

Janabahaa Evenings

Quite, colorful and relaxing.

 Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Charya Dance Enthralls Janabahaa Audience

Organized by Macchindra Club, a Charya dance program was performed by the Lalitpur-based Singhini Research Center in the evening of July 23, 2010 on the street just outside the main gate of Janabahaa for the benefit of the general public.

Charya Nritya is an ancient ritual dance that dates back to over a thousand years, and is a religious discipline of the Vajrayana priests of Kathmandu, who perform the dance as part of their esoteric meditation practices, ceremonies and rituals.

The Newa Buddhist priests dance the Charya Nritya in a state of deep meditative awareness in order to embody the living presence of the compassionate, peaceful, and fierce divinities of the Vajrayana Buddhist pantheon.

Charya dance, which means “dance as a spiritual discipline,” is a sacred dance form.

Charya dance is a meditation discipline, vehicle of bodily and spiritual transformation, and opportunity for an audience to experience a vision of divine beauty.

After the performance at Janabahaa, the dance troupe has embarked on a trip to Switzerland and USA where they will be presenting special performances of the Charya dance. An excellent reference site to learn more about the Charya dance is http://www.dancemandal.com.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.