The traditional Indra Jatra of religious and cultural significance has started in Bhaktapur from today. Every year on Bhadra Shukla Dwadashi, the procession starts in Bhaktapur city by erecting a statue of Indra. The Indrajatra of Bhaktapur is celebrated for eight days by the local Guthiyar by chanting Yamadyo in the communities, Salan Ganesh, Chuma Ganesh, Indrayani Devi, and Bhairav's Jatra, Yammata (Akash Deep) Jatra, Mupatra Jatra, and Pulukisi Jatra.
On the first day of the procession, local Guthiyars perform ritual worship in the communities of the city, including Itache, Tekhapukhu, Mulakh, Bulucha, Sakotha, Bholache, Sujamhari, Khauma, Gahiti, Mahalakshmi, Chasukhel, and other places. The second day is considered zero-day. There will be no program of the procession on this day. On the third day of the Jatra, i.e. on the evening of Indrajatra, the Khat Jatra of Goddess Indrayani is celebrated in Khauma.
In the procession, Goddess Indrayani is adorned and worshiped with traditional Bajagaja, Dafa, hymns are sung, local women are adorned in Hakupatasi, Sukuna is burnt, children and old people are brought in the middle of the south side of Siddhapokhari known as Siddhapokhari. During the procession, Dahal is decorated by lighting a night lamp. On this day, a fair is held at Daham. There is a tradition of offering Tantric worship to Indrayani at midnight.
On the fourth day of the pilgrimage, on the occasion of Yanya Punhi (Bhadra Shukla Purnima), devotees who bathe in the morning in the famous ancient Indradaha, a place of religious pilgrimage, worship Goddess Indrayani. Since Devraj Indra bathed in Daha, it is believed that if one bathes in Indra Daha and worships Indrayani Devi on this day, one will attain merit and family happiness.
On this day, not only Indrayani Devi but also the idols of Shaivites, Shaktis, Buddhists, Vaishnavas, deities, and Vasuki snakes are worshiped. There is a tradition of drinking water in the Shivalinga on the east side of Daha. At night, Indrayani Devi is re-traveled with the traditional Bajagaja, brought to the temple at Khauma, worshiped, and seated in the asana. The fifth day of the journey is also considered zero.
Yamta and Mupatra Jatra are celebrated continuously from the sixth day of the Jatra for three days. On the first day, the Manandhar community of Sakulan Tol burns a pair of Yammatas (lamps at the three ends of a trident) at the Bhimsen Temple in Dattatraya. Immediately, Sancha Ganesh of Tachpal is duly worshiped and placed on the bed. After placing Ganesha on the bed, Yamata is performed first and then Salan Ganesha is performed. After that, Mupatra Jatra is celebrated. In the procession, Yamata, Ganesh, and Mupatra are circumambulated at the place of Yamadyo.
During the procession, it is customary for three persons, including Mupatra Pramukh and his two assistants named Dhischa, to go around the city in monster attire, with various colors on their faces, holding swords with ornaments. While circling the city, Yamadyo, who is standing on the toll road, is turned three times by the Mupatra and struck with the sword.
On the evening of the seventh day of the Jatra, a procession of Ganesh is held at Choche Tol along with the Yammata of the Manandhar community of Gomari. On this day, the Manandhar community of Gomari goes to Ganesh in the evening and after burning Sukuna, the procession starts at Gomari Manandhar Chowk. After reaching Yamata Chochen, Chuma Ganesh goes after him. Immediately after the procession is taken out from the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur.
On the last day of the procession, the Manandhar community of the lower toll has a tradition of bringing a pair of Yammatas. On this day, along with Yamata, the Khat Jatra and Pulukisi Jatra of Bhairav of Tamari (Taumadhi) are performed. Initially, the Manandhar community of Lower Tol Tekhacho and Tapalachhi went to the Bhairavnath temple and came back with dry firewood.
After that, a pair of Yammata burns in the stone fountain at Bulacha. After that, another form of Tamari's Akash Bhairav, Masan Bhairav's Khat Jatra is performed. In the Khat Jatra, the chariot of Bhairavnath is rotated by playing the Naikhing (a special instrument of the Khadgi community). Before performing the Parikrama, Bhairav is ritually worshiped by Guthi Sansthan.
After the Khat Jatra of Bhairav, the local Lakulachen Tol community starts the Pulukisi Jatra, which is made by covering the bamboo mat with a blue cloth and keeping an elephant trunk in the front. Before starting the procession, the Pulukisi procession starts by turning three times in front of Tamari's Bhairav temple. During the procession, Pulukisi is carried by four people, while one of them stays in Pulukisi and rings the bell.
Airavat, a faithful servant of Devaraja Indra, took Pulukisi, who is considered as an elephant, around the city; There is a practice of feeding paddy at the crossroads of Dobato, heating fires in Toumdhi and Durbar Square, and feeding water in the well of Sujmari.
According to the religious belief that if the trunk of a Pulukisi touches a person during the pilgrimage, it is a condition. According to the Devi Purana, the Pulukisi Jatra is celebrated in memory of Devraj Indra's son Jayant.
As there is no law against the person who becomes an elephant even if he is trampled to death by Pulukisi during the procession, the procession starts only after circling more than half of the city on this day. On this day, Mupatra Jatra is taken out from Bhairav temple of Bhaktapur.
According to cultural activists, King Jagat Prakash Malla of Bhaktapur collected Devipuran and Padyapuran in the Mallaka period and introduced the Jatra by imitating scenes based on the stories of those Puranas.
According to folklore, Vasundhara, the mother of the late King Devraj Indra, needed Parijat flowers to fast on the fourth day of Bhadrashukla. Indra sent his son Jayant to look for the flower of Parijat.
Jayant entered the giant's garden looking for Parijat's flowers. The giants saw him, grabbed him, took him to a crossroads, and tied him to a pole. When Indra found out about this, he came with a force and attacked the monster.
Indra won the battle. The demons took Indra's army to the place where Jayant was. There, the demons cut the rope tied to Jayant and apologized. According to Prof. Dr. Purushottam Lochan Shrestha, a historian and culturologist, the procession was started on the basis of various texts mentioning that the monster was paraded around the city.
Devraj Indra's mother Basundhara needed a Parijat flower to fast on the fourth day of Bhadra Shukla, so her son Jayant was sent to look for the flower. While searching for Parijat flowers, Indraputra Jayant was arrested by a monster while picking Parijat flowers. Then Jayant was tied with both hands behind his back. Cultural activist Harisharan Rajopadhyay said that they have been celebrating Indrajatra to celebrate the victory of the gods after a battle between the gods and the demons to save Jayantha.
Prof. Dr. Shrestha said that Indrajatra in Bhaktapur has been celebrated with the objective of maintaining happiness, peace, and prosperity in the country, any natural calamity, famine, epidemic, excessive rains, destruction of time, and enemies. He also said that the main message of the procession was that a radish thief is also a thief and a horse thief is also a thief.
