Bhoto Jatra, or the vest festival

This Sunday was one of the most important festivals in Lalitpur, Bhoto Jatra, or where a chariot with a vest is put in display over the city.
Rato Machhendranath or Matsyendranath is a god of rain worshiped by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal. Hindus regard him as the reincarnation of the Lord Shiva, while the Buddhists regard him as the Tantric reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara. Legend says that, when Guru Gorakhnath visited Patan, he captured all the rain showering serpents of Patan and started to meditate after he was disappointed by the locals as they did not grant him any alms on his request. As a result, Patan faced drought for a long time. The then king of Patan, on the advice of his advisers, invited Machchhindranath, Guru of Gorakhnath, to Patan. When Gorakhnath learned that his teacher was in Patan, he released all the rain showering serpents and went to see him. As soon as the rain showering serpents were set free, Patan again got plenty of rainfall every year. After that day, the locals of Patan worshiped Machchhindranath as the god of rain.
After the chariot reacher Jawalakhel, this festival concludes with Bhoto Jatra, which literally means "vest festival". During the ceremony, a government official holds up a sacred jewel-studded black vest from the four sides of the chariot so that all the people gathered around can have a look at it.

Hence, now, just as monsoon is starting (yes, plenty of rain starting to fall), we went to watch the chariot, at the same time as the president and many officials came to pay their respect. Now, when I say chariot, you might think of like a roman style, low chariot. No, this thing was about 15m high (as you can tell from the picture). What is more, in the construction of the chariot no nails are used to connect the joints of the huge chariot but are only tied with ropes and veds. The only part that uses iron to hold are the four wheels. Pretty impressive...

I also got the great privilege of touching a living goddess while there. While leaving the scene, a young child was being carried away, with an entourage and sun screens. They hurried and brushed past me, and, without knowing exactly what was happening, I reached out and touched her arm. Now, she's (one of) the Kumari, or living goddess. It is part of the tradition of worshiping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in Hindu religious traditions. The word Kumari, derived from Sanskrit Kaumarya meaning "virgin", means young unmarried girls in Nepali and some Indian languages and is a name of the goddess Durga as a child.

In Nepal, a Kumari is a pre-pubescent girl selected from the Shakya or Bajracharya clan of the Nepalese Newari community. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous.

Eligible girls are Buddhists from the Newar Shakya caste (the clan to which the Buddha belonged) of silver and goldsmiths. She must be in excellent health, never have shed blood or been afflicted by any diseases, be without blemish and must not have yet lost any teeth. Girls who pass these basic eligibility requirements are examined for the battis lakshanas, or 'thirty-two perfections' of a goddess. Some of these are poetically listed as such:

• A neck like a conch shell
• A body like a banyan tree
• Eyelashes like a cow
• Thighs like a deer
• Chest like a lion
• Voice soft and clear as a duck's

In addition to this, her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of twenty teeth.

Once the priests have chosen a candidate, she must undergo yet more rigorous tests. Her greatest test comes during the Hindu festival of Dashain. On the kalratri, or 'black night', 108 buffaloes and goats are sacrificed to the goddess Kali. The young candidate is taken into the temple and released into the courtyard, where the severed heads of the animals are illuminated by candlelight and masked men are dancing about. If the candidate truly possesses the qualities of Taleju, she should show no fear during this experience. If she does, another candidate is brought in to attempt the same thing.

After passing all other tests, the final test is that she must be able to pick out the personal belongings of the previous Kumari from an assortment of things laid out before her. If she is able to do so, there is no remaining doubt that she is the chosen one.