Yartung Mela: Summer Festival In Mustang

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

We a group of people having business in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal chartered a helicopter and flew to Muktinath Valley to celebrate Yartung Mela on the full moon day called Janai Purnima in the month called Sravan (July-August) in the Vikram calendar. In fact, we used to travel on foot when we were young from our neighboring homes to the Muktinath area to this festival usually on full moon day but it could be before or after the full moon day depending on our calendar. Still most of the people living in this region travel on foot or on horses and stay overnight at Ranipauwa of the Muktinath area to celebrate this festival next day. People travel from the nearby areas to this area and back home on the same day.

In our language, Yartung means the end of summer; Mela means a festival; Yartung Mela means a festival to send off summer. So, we celebrate this festival with enthusiasm appreciating the good lives the summer has brought to us.

By this time, we have finished harvesting the crop; we also have stored the cereal at home; so, it is time for us to go to the south for a business. Before making preparation for the incoming winter and before most of us setting off to the south for a business leaving children and senior people behind, we celebrate this festival with gusto. In fact, this festival is for us to getting together before departure, to make offerings to Lord Buddha, and to receive blessings from the village chief and respectable senior citizens for an auspicious journey.

We believe that the then king of Jharkot set this tradition of Yartung Mela in this region. At that time, we have numerous small kingdoms ruled by petty kings before the petty king called Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha unified all those small kingdoms into the modern Nepal in the mid eighteen century. At that time, the king himself blessed all the people wishing our ancestors for a good business and safe return. So, we have been celebrating Yartung Mela since then with the same enthusiasm as were at that time. Even today, the king of Mustang and other royals in name only dressed in majestic attires visit the Muktinath area to celebrate this festival.

Our senior honorable priest called Lama set the day for celebrating Yartung Mela finding the most auspicious day in our calendar and keeping in mind the view of completion of harvesting crops. We do not harvest our crops after the Yartung Mela. So, our priest makes sure that all our people have harvested their crops. Usually, our priest chooses the full moon day called Janai Purnima for celebrating this festival, as this day is the most auspicious day for Buddhists and Hindus. In case, if this day happens to be the inauspicious day in the Sherpa calendar, then we celebrate this festival on the following day or on other day the priest sets.

Our people living in different parts of the Mustang District and surrounding areas assemble here one day before Yartung Mela. Some of them living as far away areas as Lamjung and Manang in the east, Lomanthang in the north-west, Tukuche and Jomson in the south arrive at Ranipauwa in the Muktinath Valley one day before this festival. Most of them pitch camps for the night. Some of them stay in the monastery called Nursing Monastery or with relatives if they have any. Others stay in lodges. They spend the whole night boozing, singing and dancing.

From the early morning of Yartung Mela, together with our women and children, we first visit the Goddess of Flame called Jwala Mai and make offerings to Her, then Muktinath to offer prayers to Lord Muktinath, He is Avalokitesvara: one of the Buddhas for us and then to the monastery called Nursing Monastery to offer butter lamps to Lord Buddha. Thus, we spend the morning of Yartung Mela performing religious offerings to our deities.

As Yartung Mela usually coincides with the Hindu festival called Janai Purnima, Hindus even from far away areas visit Muktinath to change their sacred thread on this day. First, they wash their bodies in the water coming out of 108-water spouts surrounding the Muktinath temple starting at the first spout and ending at the last one. Then, they wear new sacred threads and go to make offerings to Lord Muktinath in the temple. This adds color and people to this festival.

On the festival day, the local chief called Mukhiya previously the king of Jharkot dressed up in the traditional royal attire riding a horse leads a royal procession from Jharkot to Ranipauwa. The royal procession first goes to the Jwala Mai temple, and offer prayers to Her for the good health and successful return of us going to the south for a business. Then, the procession proceeds to Lord Muktinath and offers prayers to Him. For us Buddhists, He is Avalokitesvara. From there, the procession moves on farther north to the monastery called Nursing Gomba to make offerings and prayers to Lord Buddha. In our language Gomba means a monastery.

The royal procession led by the king of Jharkot is a special event for us in this region. It takes a long time for traveling from Jharkot to Ranipauwa, and then to make religious offerings to various divinities. By the time, it arrives at the mini-stadium at Ranipauwa it is afternoon.

The royal group performs dances at the stadium. The head of the royal group stays at the center while other members around him rejoice and perform dances. They circle him a number of times while performing various sorts of dances. This enjoyment goes on for several hours.

After the dancing ceremony, the head of the royal party Mukhiya takes a seat made for him at the stadium. Then, he blesses us one by one. After the blessing ceremony, Mukhiya takes another seat at the higher place to watch the sports activities going at the stadium.

The main game of the show was only a horse race in ancient time but recently we have added a number of modern games to it making it more enjoyable. Horsemen and women from the areas as far away as Manang, Lamjung, Jomson and Lete participate in this game to demonstrate their horsemanship. They amuse the audience picking up bank notes and coins from the ground riding on horses at high speed. They also perform acrobatics on horses. Recently, they participate in volleyball, badminton and so on contests.

After the completion of games, Mukhiya distributes prizes to the winners of various games. Finally, Mukhiya blesses all of us going to the south for a business and wishes us for a good luck in our business and safe return from business. Thus ends Yartung Mela.

Our people called Gurungs living in Lamjung have a unique tradition of cleansing their daughters and sisters of sins at the Muktinath on the occasion of Yartung Mela before their marriage. When their daughters and sisters come of age, they take daughters and sisters to Muktinath on the day of Yartung Mela to perform purification rites before giving them in marriage. Young unmarried women take a purification wash in the waters coming out of 108-water spouts surrounding the Muktinath temple. They make offerings to Lord Muktinath in our belief Lord Avalokitesvara and receive blessings from the Lord, thus becoming eligible for marriage.

Note: This year’s full moon day called Janai Purma is on August 16.