Bisket Jatra

Bisket Jatra
बिस्काः जात्रा
Bisket Jatra; बिस्काः जात्रा
	Bisket Jatra Chariot in Bhaktapur
Genre	Festival
Frequency	Every years
Venue	Bhaktapur
Location(s)	Bhaktapur District
Previous event	2021
Attendance	5 million people
Area	3–5 km radius around the Nyatapola temple
Activity	Religious

Biska Jatra

Biska Jatra is an annual event in Bhaktapur, Dhapasi, Madhyapur Thimi and Tokha and other places in Nepal.^[1] The festival is celebrated at the start of the new year on the Bikram Sambat calendar, however, the festival itself is not related to Bikram Sambat.^[2]

Legend has it that this celebration is the "festival after the death of the serpent". Various areas of Bhaktapur city celebrate this festival according to their own rituals. The most eventful places are and Thimi Balkumari. A chariot carrying the statue of Lord Bhairava is pulled by hundreds of people to towards upper (Thaney) and lower (Koney) Tole as tug of war. Approximately a month earlier, the chariot is assembled near the Nyatapola temple (five stair temple).

The signature event on Bhaktapur Taumadhi which kicks off the biska jatra "dya koha bijyaigu" which means the god bhairav is brought outside from its temple for festival, It is a tug-of-war between the Thane (upper) and Kone (lower) part of town. The chariot is pulled from both sides and whoever wins that part of town gets to take chance of chariot to their place while the other sides wait for their turn. The chariot is at last pulled down to gahiti where the chariot is kept for two days and again pulled down to lyasinkhel on the eve of nepali new year. An approximately 25 meter Yoh si Dyo is erected in the yosi khyo. The chariot is then pulled on the lyasinkhel and kept till the next day. The Yoh si is pulled down on the eve of New Year. Then again the chariot is pulled to gahiti and on last day which is also called " dya thaha bijyaigu" which means god bhairav is again brought to temple, the chariot is again pulled on both sides and finally settled to the premises of 5 storied temple.

Several places in Madhyapur Thimi (Thimi, Nagadesh and Bode) also celebrate Biska Jatra. Folks from various parts of Madhyapur Thimi gather, carrying their own chariots in Layeku Thimi. People celebrate and share greetings, throwing simrik color powder and playing Dhimay music.

Bode witnesses a tongue-piercing ceremony. One resident spends the whole day with an iron spike piercing his tongue and roams the city by carrying multiple fiery torches on his shoulder. Juju Bhai Shrestha is the most renowned tongue piercer town.^[3]^[4]^[5]