Bhaktapur
We cannot deny that our cultural heritage is our identity. And Five storied temple located at Bhaktapur is one such iconic architecture which is the nation’s pride and is a symbol of peace, prosperity and unity.
Built in 822 NS (1702 AD), every year on Asar Shukla Pratipada, a ritual called ‘Bushwara’ (placing of flag) is done. This year it fell on Wednesday.
Devotees throng Krishna temple (Photo Feature)
It is the day of celebration of temple’s official establishment day where every year few people climb up to the top of the temple and place a flag.
A total of 20 local people of Awal caste of Newar community from Tuchimala unite to do the ceremony. The flag ceremony is followed by a feast to these 20 people who risked their lives and reached the top of the temple.
From past 100 years this tradition of placing the flag on top of the temple is being observed. Every year Rs 4,000 is given by the government to the local as a budget for the ceremony. The locals complained that this tradition might be at stake, if the government doesn’t help the locals with increase in funding in the upcoming days.
In the fear of the tradition coming to an extinct the local people reached the Guthi at Suryavinayak and also the governmental bodies of the district like the municipality to address this problem.
Due to lack of funding and to show their dissatisfaction with the government for last few years the flag was being placed on the first floor. Talking about the reason for the temple’s establishment, cultural expert Om Dhovdel shared, “The reason behind building the temple five storied is to create fear in the eyes of Bhairavnath who is considered very quick tempered and to calm him down in a sense that he is small in comparison to the temple ,” cultural expert Om Dhovdel said.
