| Rato Machindranath Jatra / bhoto jatra | |
|---|---|
 The chariot of Bunga Dyah | |
| Also called | Buṅga Dyaḥ Jātrā |
| Observed by | Nepalese |
| Type | Religious |
Rato Machindranath Jatra (Nepali: रातो मच्छिन्द्रनाथको रथयात्रा), also known as Buṅga Dyaḥ Jātrā (Newar: बुंग द्यः जात्रा) is a Nepalese chariot festival which is held in Lalitpur, Nepal. It is one of the greatest religious events in the city and the longest chariot festival celebrated in the country.
The festival is dedicated to Buṅga Dyaḥ, who is also venerated as Karunamaya (Newar: करुणामय, "the compassionate one"), an aspect of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and is popularly believed to bring the monsoon rains.[1] He is also identified as an aspect of the Hindu saint Machhindranātha.[2][3] More specifically, he is referred as Rato Machhindranath in Nepali, where Rato, meaning "red", is a reference to the colour of the deity's image.[4] The chariot festival is held according to the lunar calendar, so the date is changeable. It begins on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bachhalā, the seventh month in the lunar Nepal Sambat calendar.
- ^ Widdess, Professor Richard (2013-12-02). Dāphā: Sacred Singing in a South Asian City: Music, Performance and Meaning in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-4094-6601-7.
- ^ Locke, John Kerr (1973). Rato Masyendranath of Patan and Bungamati. Institute of Nepal and Asian Studies. p. 81. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ Achaju(Karmacharya), Munindraratna (1998). "Karunamaya Jatra in Newar HIndu Culture". Aioiyama. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ Shrestha, Binu. "Pulling Chariot To Invoke Monsoon God". The Rising Nepal. Kathmandu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2014.