Navadurga Jatra is a festival celebrated every 12 years in the Thecho and Sunakothi regions of the
Lalitpur district, Nepal
Lalitpur District (, in Bagmati Province, is one of the List of districts of Nepal, seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Lalitpur, Nepal, Lalitpur as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has a population (2001) of 337, ...
. During the Jatra, masked dancers posing as deities perform a ritual dance at Mulchowk in
Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square ( Nepal Bhasa: /यल लायकु, Nepali: पाटन दरबार क्षेत्र) is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley ...
.
A tantric ritual is performed on the start of the Jatra at Bal Kumari Temple in Sunakothi on the seventh day of
Dashain
Dashain or Bada'dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a Hindu religious festival in Nepal, Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, South India, and Sri Lanka. It is also celebrated by other religions in Nepal and elsewhere, including the Lho ...
(Fulpati). Worship is performed until midnight, when an animal sacrifice is made. The Jatra is composed of 28 festivals that are celebrated throughout the year. The main feast called ''Deyh Bhavay'' is the main highlight of the Jatra. A devotee dressed as god Bhairav serves the food. Seven types of dance rituals are performed by dancers dressed as 11 types of gods and goddesses. During the dance ritual period, weddings, feasts during death rituals, and bratabhanda are prohibited. The dance ritual was added in the
Licchavi period.
The Jatra is managed by the Navadurga Guthi. All households in Thecho and Sunakothi attend the Jatra.
Navadurga Jatra of Bhaktapur
A festival with the same name is also celebrated in
Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur (Nepali language, Nepali and Sanskrit: भक्तपुर, ; "City of Devotees"), known locally as Khwopa (Nepal Bhasa: , ) and historically called Bhadgaon, is a city in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal located abou ...
. 13 masked deities perform the Navadurga dance at various location in Bhaktapur. These deities are Bhairav, Mahakali, Barahi, Brahmayani, Maheshwari, Kumari, Vaishnavi, Indrayani, Ganesh, Mahadev, Shwet Bhairav and Nandi-Bhringi. This Jatra was started by King Bhuvan Malla to avoid famine and increase prosperity.
See also
*
List of Jatras in Nepal
References
{{reflist
Festivals in Nepal