Holi festival begins in Bhaktapur

BHAKTAPUR: The Chir Swayagu (Chirothan) Holi festival commenced Tuesday evening with the ceremonial display of Bhimsen’s wooden linga at the Bhimsen Temple, Bhaktapur, located in front of the Dattatreya Temple, Bhaktapur in Tachpal.

According to tradition, on Falgun Shukla Ashtami, the three-hand-long and 30-inch-round wooden linga, symbolizing Bhimsen, is washed and cleaned in a lotus pond. On the evening of Phagu Purnima, it is taken to the river near the Brahmayani Temple, Bhaktapur for ritual cleansing. It is widely believed that those who perform the washing ritual are blessed with a son.

After purification, the linga was carried on the shoulders of two men and paraded around the Dattatreya area, passing through Inacho, Bachutol, Jela, Jagati, Brahmayani, and Chyamasingh. Devotees believe that worshipping and viewing the linga as it is taken around homes and shops brings prosperity and business growth.

During the procession, members of the Bhimsen Guthi sang a traditional, sexually suggestive hymn referencing Bhimsen’s linga, adding to the festival’s symbolic celebration of fertility and creation.

The display features a wooden linga placed through a red cloth designed to depict a symbolic act of union. When shaken, the linga moves within the cloth, representing the mythological union of Bhimsen and Draupadi.

Cultural worker Yashodhara Manandhar explained that the Phagu festival marks the arrival of spring and symbolizes creativity and renewal, a time when Kamadeva, the god of love, is believed to be active. Cultural scholars also interpret the ritual as symbolizing the union of Shiva and Shakti. Since Bhimsen is regarded as an incarnation of Mahadev (Shiva), the festival is viewed as representing the divine union of Mahadev and Parvati.

Although the exact origin of the practice is uncertain, it is believed to date back to the 17th century during the reign of King Jagat Prakash Malla, who built the Dattatreya Temple. The festival concludes on the evening of Phagu Purnima after the linga is carried to the Brahmayani river, ritually washed, and reinstalled in the temple.