Kathmandu Yein baddo bali raja danavindro mahabala Tena twom pratibadhanami rakshya maachala maachala (I tie on you (the devotee) the raksha which was tied on Bali, the King of Demons. Therefore, Oh Raksha! Do not ever fail to protect this devotee, do not ever fail.) Many of us have tried uttering this verse without knowing the meaning. The priest who visits our homes during Rakshya Bandhan or Janai Purnima ties a colourful thread on the right wrist of our family members uttering this mantra. Sacred Thread Festival Janai Purnima (Sacred Thread Festival) is one of the great festivals of the Hindus that falls on Shrawan Shukla Purnima. Janai is a sacred thread, and Purnima means full moon day, and this sacred thread is changed on the full moon day. Therefore, this festival is termed as Janai Purnima. During this festival, especially the Brahmins, Chhetris and Vaishyas change their janai worn across the chest. This janai is given only to the males during a religious ceremony Bratabandha. Janai, the triple cord made from cotton, is a symbol of body, speech and mind, and when it is tied, the wearer is supposed to get control over each. “There are nine doros (strands) in janai each symbolising the deities — Omkar, Agni, Ananta, Chandrama, Pitrigan, Prajapati, Bayu, Surya, and Sarwadevata for their respective features of knowledge, heat, popularity, loving nature, protection, coolness, light, and for happiness. All these nine deities are invoked while purifying the janai,” informed Madhav Ghimire a priest residing at Jharuwarashi. “It gives the bearer the rights to perform baidik (Vedic) and tantric works,” informed another priest Jaimini Ghimire, who also resides in Jharuwarashi. As the deities are supposed to be sitting here in the shikha (knot in the janai)  of janai, it is supposed to protect the bearer from all evils. It is believed that Bramha created the thread, Bishnu wove it, Shiva made knots in them, while Sabitri, the goddess, purified it with her mantra. “So as to reflect the same religious importance and to get protection, we carry on the tradition of wearing the janai,” informed Madhav Ghimire. During the purification process, different mantras are uttered. The janai is then offered to the deities and the deceased ancestors. “Five deities — Bramha, Bishnu, Shiva, Ganesh and Devi — are invoked for further purification,” added Jaimini Ghimire. The Brahmins then give the purified janai to the wearer on this auspicious occasion. However, this janai must be changed if it becomes frayed or gets defiled — touching menstruating women, after the death of relatives, after 10 days of a newborn in the family, while performing any new work and every four months. “It is supposed to be inactive after four months. It also gives negative energy and this is why it must be changed,” shared Jaimini Ghimire. Along with the janai, a doro is tied wrist on the same day. It is tied as a symbol of God and to protect people. This thread is believed to have power to protect human beings from evil. However, this doro too needs to be purified by invoking the deities in advance. There is no point in wearing it if is not purified as it will not have the said powers. This is why the doro is purified in two ways. One is baidik and another is pauranik (according to Purans). In the baidik bidhi, it is purified with the help of mantras from the Vedas and Puran. However, according to Puran, the priests while tying it on the wrists of people utter the mantra ending with maachala maachala. “Once upon a time there was king Bali in whose door stayed god Narayan for his protection. During his absence, this Rakshya Bandhan was tied on the wrist of the king so as to protect him. This is how the tradition of tying the doro started,” informed Jaimini Ghimire. Fest at Kumbheshwor On the afternoon of August 26, people here were busy cleaning the pond area in the Kumbheshwor Temple. Some of them were sweeping while others were colouring the walls around. “We are trying to decorate the temple and cleaning the areas around,” shared Aroj Kumar Khadgi, Chairman at Kumbheshwor Tole Sudhar Samiti, Patan. There is a grand festival held at Gosaikunda, situated in Rasuwa district in Trishuli. However, for those who can’t walk the uphill trail, they come and take a dip in the pond at Kumbheshwor, Patan. The water from Gaurikunda situated in the same vicinity is collected in the pond there. “An interesting thing about this kunda is that whenever there is a scarcity of water in the kunda and we are sure water should be collected from somewhere else, it rains a lot just five/six days prior to Janai Purnima. It is so surprising,” informed Bal Krishna Shrestha, a Bhandari at Kumbheshwor Temple. During Janai Purnima, a grand mela is held at Kumbheshwor. Why wouldn’t it be as Shiva in this temple is one of the 64 Shiva Lingas — god of all gods. An interesting thing about this temple is that there are two statues inside. Sarveshwor lies in the central part of the temple, while Kumbheshwor lies in the northeast side inside the temple. Myth of Gaurikunda Most of us know the story of Ramayana where Sita, wife of Ram, was abducted by demon king Ravana, the king of Lanka. Ram rescued his wife killing the demon. Ravana was the grandson of Pulastya Rishi. “Ram came home to Ayodhya, organised a religious ceremony to get salvation and invited all the rishimunis. All except Agasthi Rishi came to the ceremony. To know why Agasthya Rishi didn’t come, Ram came to visit him at Kumbheshwor where Agasthi was dwelling. As Ram was charged with killing a Brahmin, he would not get salvation. This is why he would have to take a bath in the water collected from various places in Kumbheshwor. Water was collected from different shrines but as it was difficult to go to Gosaikunda because of the cold, Ram used his bow and arrow and pierced the land from where water emerged. He took a bath, took Agasthi Rishi to Ayodhya, completed his religious ceremony and got salvation,” narrated Madhav Shyam Sharma, the priest at Kumbheshwor Temple. However, there was a flow of water in the area after Ram and Agasthi left. The rishi came back took the water in his kumbha (kalash) and offered it to Sarveshwor. He then got darshan from the kumbha and named the temple Kumbheshwor where he also established an idol of Shiva. This idol remains in the northeast side inside the temple, while Sarveshwor’s idol remains at the centre. According to Swasthani Bratakatha, the left hand of Satidevi (Shiva’s first wife) dropped here when Shiva carried her dead body. The mela begins when Sarveshwor Mahadev is placed in a chariot and is dipped in water. It is believed that Shiva is lying in deep water during the time between Guru Purnima (in the month of Shrawan) to Janai Purnima. “The image of Shiva surrounded by snakes reflects Shiva lying in water along with the snakes surrounding his body. People will be able to get prosperity, patience, salvation and attain good deeds when they take a dip here in this holy water,” added Sharma. Unity in diversity There are various stories related with the Kumbheshwor Temple. During the Kirat reign, there was a king named Patuk whose palace was situated around 200 metres from the temple (near today’s Golden temple). His daughter suffered from leprosy and she was thrown away from palace. She took a refuge in the temple, went to the pond, took a dip in it and worshipped deity every day. Slowly she was cured of leprosy and achieved great beauty. The king then went to take her back home. She refused wanting to stay in the temple. “This is why the king has made one storey of the temple for his daughter. Several dhami-jhankri (shamans) go to Gosaikunda to attain success in their tantrism, but for those who can’t visit Gosaikunda, they come here for the same. It is also believed that water from Gosaikunda should be offered here,” Sharma informed. Not only the Hindus, but Buddhists too come to worship on this particular day as they regard him as Bajrapani Lokeshwor. So whether one is a Kirant, Buddhist, or Hindu, they come together for this celebration. No pinnacle on temple this year Various buildings collapsed in he 7.6 magnitude earthquake of April 25. The top storey and pinnacle of the temple collapsed when there was another earthquake on May 12. “This is the first time we are organising the mela without pinnacle on the temple,” shared Khadgi. After the devastation, the priests and Bhandaris of the temple found that “The temple was built in 1890 BS by Shree Paanch Jetha Badamaharani Trailokya Rajya Laxmi Shah with help from commander-in-chief Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana and was completed in 1906 BS after it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1890 BS”. However, no effort was made to preserve the temple after the earthquakes. “Rather than leaving the temple as it is, it is necessary to seek alternatives,” opined Sharma. Kwati and rakhis On this festival, people consume kwati — a soup prepared by mixing sprouts of nine different pulses.  Apart from janai, doro and kwati, this festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi on a brother’s wrist by the sister for his long life and prosperity. “Ashad and Shrawan are the months for people to fall sick as this time is ripe for bacteria and germs to germinate and to help maintain immunity people eat the soup from made from cooking these mixed sprouts,” shared Sharma.