Pulling The Chariot Of Matsyendranath

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Following the auspicious day a group of astrologers have found for pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath, devotees have pulled the chariot from the crossroads at ‘Thati tole’ to Jawalakhel on June 4, 2013. The chariot has been standing there since the women only had pulled it from Lagankhel to the crossroads. Then the festival of the display of the vest encrusted with jewels held on June 7, 2013: four days after the arrival of the chariot at Jawalakhel. After the display of the vest, the about-a-month-long festival has come to an end. Lord Matsyendranath went to the summer temple in Bungamati to reside for six months. Then, Lord Matsyendranath comes back to Lalitpur for another six months to reside.

The festival of pulling the chariot of Matsyendranath starts at Pulchok in Lalitpur. Two chariots are built at Pulchok: One for Matsyendranath, and another for Minanath. Before Lord Matsyendranath was brought to Nepal, Lord Minanath enjoyed the monopoly on enjoying the festival of pulling the chariot through the narrow lanes of Lalitpur. After the arrival of Lord Matsyendranath, Lord Minanath took the backstage giving the limelight to Lord Matsyendranath.

Pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath and of Lord Minanath has been the festival of the people of the three city states: Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, and Lalitpur. People of Bhaktapur used to pull the chariot at certain areas for a certain days. Then, the people of Kathmandu used to pull the chariot from the area left by the people of Bhaktapur to certain areas for certain days. Finally, the people of Lalitpur pull the chariot at the remaining areas. One day is allocated for the women only to pull the chariot from Lagankhel to the crossroads at the ‘Thati tole’. Women devotees of the three city-states and from other towns and villages pull the chariot on the day allocated to them. Women believe that they earn merits from pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath. However, the tradition must be for giving women the opportunity of pulling the chariot.

The festival of pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath also is held in Dolakha: former major commercial town in the eastern mid hills of Nepal. Dolakha had played a major role in the trade between Tibet and India via Nepal. Some scholars believed that Lord Matsyendranath arrived first in Dolakha. The festival of pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath was suspended in Dolakha for some years. The festival has been restarted in Dolakha again.

One of the Matsyendranaths is in Nala of the Kavre district but the people of Nala have no tradition of the festival of pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath.

Kathmandu has a white Matsyendranath. The festival of pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath is held in Kathmandu in April. The chariot is built at the area called Tindhara pathshala north of Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu. On the eighth day of the Dashain festival in Chaitra (April), the priests take Lord Matsyendranath from the temple at the Matsyendranath Bahal to the Tindhara pathshala in Kathmandu, and install the lord in the sanctum of the chariot there. On the first day of the festival of pulling the chariot, devotees pull the chariot to Bhotahity, on the second day to Hanumandhoka, and finally to Lagan in Kathmandu if everything goes smoothly. At the Lagan, Living Goddess Kumari of Kathmandu presides over the final day of the festival of pulling the chariot. Then, Lord Matsyendranath rides back to the temple at the Matsyendranath Bahal in Kathmandu on a portable shrine carried by devotees on shoulder poles.

Living Goddess Kumari of Lalitpur presides over the major events of the festival of pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath in Lalitpur. Living Goddess Kumari presides over the installing of Lord Matsyendranath in the sanctum of the chariot at Pulchok at the beginning of the festival of pulling the chariot, then at the Lagankhel when the festival of hurling a coconut from the top of the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath is held, then presides over the final pulling of the chariot from the crossroads at the ‘Thati tole’ to Jawalakhel, and ultimately, presides over the festival of displaying the vest encrusted with jewels at Jawalakhel. Living Goddess Kumari presides over the annul-cleaning ceremony held to Lord Matsyendranath at Lagankhel before starting the festival of the pulling the chariot. Living Goddess Kumari of Bungamati presides over the major events of the festival of Lord Matsyendranath held in Bungamati. Living Goddess Kumari of Kathmandu presides over the major events of the festival of pulling the chariot of Lord white Matsyendranath in Kathmandu.

Lord Matsyendranath is the deity of all Hindu and Buddhist Nepalis. Matsyendranath is the name given by the ‘nath’ sect of Saivities. Matsyendranath is the combination of two words: Matsyendra means originated from a fish, and ‘nath’ means the master. Matsyendranath is believed to have come from a fish following another story. Buddhists call Him Avaloketesvor. Vaishnavis call Him Birenchi Narayan. Tantriks offer him animal sacrifices at one corner of the compound of temple at Matsyendranath Bahal in Lalitpur. Common folks call him Karunamaya means the compassionate.

To get relief from the 12-year drought in the Kathmandu Valley, King Narendra Dev of Bhaktapur city state, Tantrik expert Bandhu Dutta of Kathmandu, and a strong and brave porter Rathan Chakra of Lalitpur went to Kamarupa currently Assam in India to bring a young deity born to the demon parents there. Gorkhanath seized the 12 serpents, and wove them into a cushion and sat on them meditating on his guru Lord Matsyendranath causing the drought. The Kathmandu Valley suffered from the drought because the serpents supposed to bring rains had been under seize. The only alternative was to bring Lord Matsyendranath to Nepal to free the serpents from Gorkhanath.

Narendra Dev, Bandhu Dutta, and Rathan Chakra passed through several hurdles on the way to Kamarupa. They faced the challenges of the serpent king Karkot Nag. They made the adversary Karkot Nag a friend and used him as a bridge whenever they needed to cross over rivers. In the end, Karkot Nag also played a significant role in bringing Lord Matsyendranath to Nepal. Tantrik Bandhu Dutta played a major role in catching the young deity and convert him into a bumblebee and sent him to a holy water jar called ‘kalash’ and covered it with a clay bowel by his tantric power.

Porter Rathan Chakra carried the holy water jar with the deity in it. The demon army came after them but Tantrik Bandhu Dutta managed to keep them away from his tantric power. They entered the Kathmandu Valley. Then, they started arguing where to take the deity to reside. King Narendra Dev wanted to take Lord Matsyendranath to Bhaktapur but Tantric Bandhu Dutta argued in favor of taking the deity to Kathmandu. While arguing on the way, the porter reached Lalitpur, and set the holy water jar with the deity he carried on the ground.

The argument for taking the deity to the final destination was going on. Many curious people gathered around them. They have started proposing different solutions to the problem. Finally, they came to the understanding on the oldest man in Lalitpur to decide where to keep the deity. They agreed on the oldest man of 120 years of age to give his decision on the residence of the deity they have brought from Kamarupa. On the night, Rathan Chakra went to the old man’s house offering him the flattened rice with yogurt. Shrewd Rathan Chakra added some salt to the yogurt. The old man tasted the salt so he needed to do what Rathan Chakra told him to do. At the time, the belief was that if you took salt from anybody then you have to be faithful to him. So, the old man could not say ‘no’ to the request of Rathan Chakra to keep Lord Matsyendranath in Lalitpur.

Next day, all the curious people gathered at the public place to hear the decision of the oldest man in the city. King Narendra Dev took his royal seat, Tantrik Bandhu Dutta took his special seat, and Rathan Chakra sat with the holy water jar containing the deity in the form of a bumblebee.

Seven logs of about three feet in length stacked one above another for the old man to climb and announce his decision. All people gathered around it. The king, the tantrik and the porter were watching what the decision of the old man would be. The old man announced that the deity should reside in Lalitpur. The seven logs fell down bringing the old man down showing that he had been bias. Everybody accepted the decision of the old man that Lord Matsyendranath would stay in Lalitpur.

Why the people made such a story of bringing Lord Matsyendranath from Kamarupa to Nepal, and then keeping the lord in Lalitpur was unknown. However, the people including the king, tantrik, and porter once reached the understanding, they kept their agreement no matter whether the decision made by the old man was right or wrong. Surely, the story of bringing the deity from Kamarupa, and the deity born to the demon parents is myth. It also contradicts with the story of Lord Matsyendranath arriving first in Dolakha.

All three main characters such as Narendra Dev, Bandhu Dutta, and Rathan Chakra agreed on the people of the three city-states: Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, and Lalitpur in turn celebrating the festival of pulling the chariot. So, the tradition of pulling the chariot of Lord Matsyendranath first by the people of Bhaktapur, then by the people of Kathmandu, and finally by the people of Lalitpur has been set but the tradition has faded away. Only the tradition of women only pulling the chariot has continued.

The deity called by different names by the different sects of Hinduism, and Buddhists, and common folks calling Him Karunamaya is really the deity of harvest. Farmers need water for irrigating their farms for good crops. They pray him for good rains. Then they transplant rice seedlings. They pray him for the good rice crop. Then, at the time of harvest, they pray the deity for the good harvest. The deity is always there for meeting the wishes of the devotees.

The story of displaying the vest encrusted with jewels also equally mythical. Once the serpent queen had an eye ailment. None of the serpent healers could heal her ailment. So, the serpent king sent his attendants in human forms to the human world for bringing a healer. They found a farmer plowing his land. They simply grab him and brought him to the palace of the serpent king.

The serpent king told the farmer that his queen had the eye ailment; so, the farmer needed to heal her.  The farmer could not say anything and disobey the king, too. He collected some dirt from behind his right ear and applied it on the eyes of the queen. After a few days of the dirt treatment, the queen recovered from the eye ailment. The serpent king gave the farmer a vest encrusted with jewels as the reward for healing the eye ailment of his queen.

The farmer wore the vest every day. One day, the farmer took off his vest and set it at one place to get rid of the heat. He continued to plow his land. A ghost happened to pass by. The ghost seeing the valuable vest took it and went away. At the end of day, when the farmer went to wear his vest, the vest had gone. He got upset but he was helpless.

At the time of the festival of Lord Matsyendranath at Jawalakhel, all the people from the towns and city-states gathered there to watch the festival. The Head of State, other dignitaries, and high-ranking civil, police and army officials were there to watch the festival. The ghost wearing the vest encrusted with jewels also was there to watch the festival. The farmer immediately grabbed the ghost by the collar and fight between them started.

Then, the people gathered around the fight the ghost and the farmer had. Quickly, law enforcements officials came to the scene. Both of them claimed the vest as theirs’. The farmer tried to convince the law enforcement people stating he got it from the serpent king as a reward for healing the eye ailment of his queen. The ghost had equally convincing argument. The law enforcement officials could not decide whom the vest really belonged to. So, they took the vest to the Head of State, and law enforcement officials briefed the Head of State on the case. The Head of State also could not decided to whom it belonged to in absence of witnesses and other evidences. So, the Head of State decided that the vest would be kept with Lord Karunamaya, and it would be displayed every year publicly to show that it has remained with the deity. The claimants could collect it with the evidences.

The myth of displaying the vest encrusted with jewels must be for convincing the people that they needed evidences and witnesses to claim something, and the unbiased judgment of the Head of State of that time.

Lord Matsyendranath is of the red color in Lalitpur.

June 4, 2013