LALITPUR:

The festival of Rato Machhindranath is set to kick off from Pulchowk, Patan on May 1 during which the bhoto (vest) of deity Rato Machhindranath, who is also known as the God of Rains, will be displayed.

This is the most important festival of Patan. Hindus worship Machchindranath as the God of Compassion (Karunamaya), while Buddhists worship him as the fourth Buddha of the Pancha Buddhas.

Legend has it that 1,400 years ago there had been no rainfall in Kathmandu Valley for a long time. As a result people were plagued by drought, famine and diseases resulting in a number of deaths. In order to salvage this situation, the Malla King of Kathmandu Narendra Dev, Tantrik scholar Bandhudutta Acharya, and porter Lalit Jyapu, brought the guru of the Gorakhnath, Rato Machhindranath, into the country.

And Kathmandu was blessed with rains.

To celebrate this occasion, a 32-metre high chariot of the Rato Machhindranath is constructed and pulled through the streets of the Capital. On the last day of the festival, the bhoto is shown.