Bhairav Temple
Welcome to the Bhairav Temple located in Bungmati, Ward No. 22 of Lalitpur Metropolitan City.
Hyagriv Bhairav: The remover of Obstacles
The present-day ‘Bungmati’ was also known as ‘Bugam’ in ancient times. Hyagriv Bhairav, also considered as another form of Lokeshwor (Matsyendranath), is also known as the Bhairav who eliminates all the obstacles (also known as Bighnantak Bhairav).
According to legend, when the Tibetans came to attack Bungmati during the month of Mangsir, Hyagriv Bhairav kept all his people hidden on the underground to protect them from the invasion. As a result, he is known as the ‘Maharaja’, the king of this region who protects and reign over all the people in the kingdom.
During that time, when the invaders asked Bhairav if he had seen the people of Bungmati, Bhairav remained silent, not giving any response at all. As he did not respond to them, they were enraged and cut Bhairvnath with a sword. Hence it is believed that only the the visible part (above his shoulder) of the Bhairavnath’s statue exists and the rest of his body (below the shoulder) was cut off by the invaders.
Even after Bhairav’s idol was cut, the attackers’ rage did not subside and the attackers attempted to inflict harm on the people. They ruined all the crops, buried them underground, destroyed that year’s harvest and left them in a pile for the people of that kingdom to showcase their wrath. When the people came out from their hiding spot, they were concerned because they did not find anything to eat.
When they tried to eat rice from the paddy pile, they were disappointed to see that all of the rice had gone bad and turned black but they still ate the same rice for meal as they had nothing left to eat. All of the vegetables that were buried underground by the invaders such as radishes, spinach, and others, were incredibly ripened and some had already been damaged but due to hunger, they began eating all of those ripened vegetables.
It is a renowned myth in the area that the tradition of consuming Hakwa rice (damaged rice caused by unfavorable conditions while harvesting) and sinki (a type of local traditional food made from dry radishes) originated since this incident.
Khadga Jatra of Bhairav Temple and the tradition of exchanging Khadga
On Navami (the ninth day of Dashain), a Jatra is celebrated in a place named Khuicha by worshipping Matysendranath’s Khadga (Chandrahas Khadga). Some Prasads (holy food) of Khadga Jatra are then brought to the Ward Office, after which Mukunda Sen Puja is held. No further Pujas are conducted till Khadga Jatra is completed.
There is a custom of exchanging the khadga (sword), after taking Aaju Aji (Manakamana Mai) in the Bhairav temple. According to mythological tale of Matsyendranath, the four Bhairavs brought Matsyenranath to Nepal Mandal successfully. There was just a Hyagriv Bhairav’s Temple at Bugmati prior to the arrival of Lokeshwar (Matysendranath) from Kamarup (India). When Matsyendranath arrived in Bhairav’s territory, Bhairavnath honored him by handing over his khadga (sword).
Handing one’s khadga to another was thought to be transferring responsibility of one’s region to the person receiving it in ancient times. Thus, as a token of respect to Bhairavnath, Matysendranath’s khadga is brought to the Bhairav temple on the ninth day of Dashain i.e. on Nawami and it is kept there for one night.
Mukunda Puja
During one of the multiple invasion attempts of Mukunda Sen, the then king of Tansen, Palpa, here at Bungmati, he managed to steal the idol of Bhairavnath when there were no people in this area. As the king felt very sick while carrying the idol of Bhairav to his hometown-Palpa, the Vaidyas suggested him that he should worship Bhairav as the Vaidhya said, the king vomited blood due to Bhairav’s curse and that he should go to Bungamati and pray to Bhairavnath for forgiveness.
For this reason, even today, on the ninth day of Dashain, there is a tradition of performing Mukunda Puja, offering a he-buffalo and a duck as sacrifices, and then conducting a forgiveness puja also known as Kshyama Puja. As part of this ritual, there is a practice of performing worship to Bhairavnath by Mukunda Sen, offering Bhairav with silver necklace and a silver crown during the Mukunda Puja every year.
This practice continued for years and at the present, the government of Nepal organizes this worship through the Ward Office every year.
Bhaari Puja (Maha Puja)
In this way, referring to the tradition of Mukunda Sen, performing forgiveness ceremony on the day of Dashami, the current practice involves Mukunda Sen conducting a Bhairavnath worship and forgiveness ceremony through the Ward Office on behalf of the government of Nepal. This event has become celebration of happiness, and ‘Bhaari Puja’ is conducted with the objective of distributing Prasad to all the attendees.
Many devotees gather, making it a grand and significant puja where the puja is conducted on a large scale and Prasad is distributed as part of the ritual. On the same day, after Suwal (the one who performs animal sacrifices) performs the morning worship to Bhairavnath, the devotees offer sacrifices to Bhairavnath according to their vows.
Bhairav Jatra
For the Bhairav Jatra, Hanuman, one of the friends of Bhairav, is called by playing the Indrayani Baja (Kaal Baja) on Dashami. Only after Hanuman’s arrival, Aji (Mankamana), and Aaju as Hyagriv Bhairav, are made to circumambulate the village.
It is believed that, not worshiping Bhairavnath alongside Matysendranath is not a complete and pure worship. For this reason, even today, Bhairavnath’s worship takes place before and after the worship of Matysendranath. During the ‘Ebhu’ day, to symbolize that Bhairavnath is worshipped by Matsyendranath, there is a practice of offering sacrifices by Guthi Sansthan behind the Bhairav Temple. After that, the sacrifice of he-buffalo is given at Ikha (Peeth).
Following this, the meat is offered as Prasad to Bhairav’s vehicle (bahan) i.e. to the dogs. Similarly, the remaining Prasad is distributed to all devotees, and after that, the worship of Bhairavnath begins.
In this temple, there are two faces of Bhairav, in which the outer side is Hyagriv Bhairav while the inner side depicts Kal Bhairav’s face.
According to legend, Bhairav’s companion Bhimsen was invited to participate in the Bhairav’s Puja. However, Bhairav consumed the offerings from the devotees in the form of Kaal Bhairav through the back side of the temple and kept Bhimsen waiting for a long time. Due to this reason, Bhimsen became upset and went away by threating to cause disturbances during the Bhairav’s Jatra every year.
For the same reason, Hanuman, another friend of Bhairav, is symbolically invoked by playing the Indrayani Baaja (local musical instrument) every year during Bhairav Jatra on Dashain.
After Hanuman’s arrival, Hanuman first leads the Jatra before taking out the deities. After circumambulating the temple, Hanuman sees Bhimsen staying at the top of temple’s gate with the intention of causing certain disturbances and obstacles in the Bhairav’s Jatra. The proceedings and rituals that take place in this Bhairav Jatra are part of the mythological stories and their interpretations.
As a result, every year, a long bamboo pole, symbolizing Hanuman’s tail, is used to playfully nudge Bhimsen out of the gate at the beginning of the Jatra. This act of Hanuman throwing Bhimsen away from the Bhairav’s temple is symbolically shown during the Jatra by moving the bamboo pole around, at the gate of the temple.
Afterward, Hanuman, along with Salcha (a white horse), proceeds alongside deities and devotees for the temple circumambulation. During this event, the white horse (Salcha), considered as a symbol of Matysendranath is kept at the top (head) of Hyagriv Bhairav. According to a different mythological story, it is believed that this white horse (Salcha) once saved the famous merchant Singha Sartha Bahul who was captured by Yakshinis (female spirits).
In this way, Bhairav Jatra that is started from Nawami (ninth day of Dashain) is celebrated till the day of Ekadashi (eleventh day of Dashain) with the co-ordination and participation of all the villagers, Guthiyars and devotees.
Read Stories of Heritages of Nepal …
References
Paneju Sangh, Bungmati
भैरव मन्दिर
मन्त्र
ओम काल भैरवाय नम:। ओम ह्रीं बं बटुकाय आपदुद्धारणाय कुरुकुरु बटुकाय ह्रीं। ओम भ्रं काल भैरवाय फट्।
ललितपूर महानगरपालिका वडा नं २२ मा अवस्थित बुङ्गमतिको भैरव मन्दिरमा हजुरहरुलाई स्वागत छ।
विघ्नान्तक भैरवः ह्यगृव
हालको बुङ्गमतिलाई प्राचिनकालमा ‘बुगम’ पनि भन्ने गरिन्थ्यो। विघ्न वाधा हटाउने विघ्नान्तक भैरव साथै लोकेश्वरको रुपमा पनि यस बुङ्गमति क्षेत्रमा रहेका ह्यगृव भैरवलाई मानिन्छ। किम्बदंतीका अनुसार परापूर्वकालमा जब तिब्बतीहरु मंसिर महिनामा हमला गर्न भनेर बुङ्गमति आए, ह्यगृव भैरवले आफ्ना सबै मानिसहरुलाई आक्रमणबाट जोगाउनका खातिर लुकाएर राख्नुभयो। जसर्थ पनि उहाँलाई यस ठाउँका महाराजा भनिएको हो। त्यस समयमा ती आक्रमणकारीहरुले कोहि पनि नदेखेर भैरवलाई, “यहाँका मानिसहरु खोई?” भनेर सोध्दा भैरवले केहि पनि उत्तर नदिएर मौन बस्नुभयो। यसरी उहाँले उत्तर नदिएकाले उनीहरु रिसाएर भैरवनाथलाई तरवारले काटेर गएकाले अहिले पनि भैरवनाथको मूर्ति कुमभन्दा माथिको भाग मात्र रहेको भन्ने किम्बदन्ती प्रचलित छ।
यसरी भैरवको जीउ काटिएपछि पनि रिस शान्त नभएकाले ती आक्रमणकारीहरुले जनताहरुलाई दुःख दिन भनेर लागि परे। उनीहरुले सबै बालीनाली नष्ट पार्न, पाकेको धानको कुन्यु बनाई, बारीका सबै तरकारीहरुलाई खाल्टो खनी लुकाएर गए। पछि जनताहरु लुकेको ठाउँबाट निस्किएर हेर्दा त खानेकुरा केहि फेला नपारेपछि आकुल व्याकुल भए। त्यसपछि उनीहरुले त्यहि कुन्यु लगाएको धानबाट चामल खान खोज्दा सबै चामल हक्वा भयो तर पनि त्यहि चामलको खाना खाए। साथै खाल्टोमा लुकाएको सबै तरकारी जस्तै मुला, साग आदि पाकेर गन्हाउने भैसकेको थियो तर भोक लागेका कारणले गर्दा उनीहरुले सबै तरकारीहरु खान थाले। यहिँबाट हक्वा चामल र सिन्कीको प्रचलन सुरु भयो भन्ने विश्वास पनि रहेको पाइन्छ।
खड्ग जात्रा र खड्ग साट्ने प्रचलन
नवमीको दिनमा सर्वप्रथमतः खुँइचा भन्ने ठाउँमा मच्छिन्द्रनाथ को खड्ग (चन्द्रहास खड्ग) लगेर पूजा गरि जात्रा गरिन्छ र त्यहाँको प्रसाद, वडा कार्यालयमा पुर्याइसकेपछि भने मुकुन्द सेनको पूजा आउने गर्दछ। यसरी खड्ग जात्रा नसक्कुन्जेल भैरवनाथको अर्को कुनै पनि पुजा गरिँदैन।
आजु अजीलाई मन्दिरमा भित्र्याइसकेपछि खड्ग साट्ने प्रचलन छ। मच्छिन्द्रनाथलाई नेपाल मण्डलमा भैरवहरुले नै बोकेर ल्याएका थिए। लोकेश्वरलाई (मच्छिन्द्रनाथलाई) कामरुपबाट नेपाल मण्डलमा ल्याउनु अगाडि यहाँ बुङ्गमतिमा भैरवनाथको मात्र मन्दिर थियो। आफूले मान्नुपर्ने देवता मच्छिन्द्रनाथ आफ्नो क्षेत्रमा आइसकेपछि भैरवनाथको राज्य मच्छिन्द्रनाथलाई सुम्पिएको भनेर खड्ग साट्ने प्रचलन छ। यसरी मच्छिन्द्रनाथलाई सुम्पिएको खड्ग भैरवनाथलाई सम्मान गरेको स्वरुप नवमीको रात्री त्यहि खड्ग ल्याएर एक रात भैरवको मन्दिरमा राखिन्छ।
मुकुन्द पूजा
आक्रमणकै क्रममा सेन वंशीय राजाको पालामा पाल्पा तानसेनका राजा मुकुन्द सेनले यस क्षेत्रमा कोहि पनि जनता नभएको बेला भैरवनाथको मूर्ति नै लिएर गए। जस क्रममा भैरवको मूर्तिलाई पाल्पा पुर्याइसक्दा राजाले रगत छादेर मर्ने अवस्थामा पुगेको देखि, वैद्यहरुले उनलाई भैरवको दोष लागेको कारणले पूजाआजा गर्ने उपाय साथै उनलाई बुङ्गमतिमा गएर भैरवलाई क्षमा पूजा गर्नु भन्ने सुझाव दिए।
जसकारणले गर्दा आज पनि दशैंको नवमीको दिनमा मुकुन्द पूजा भनेर एउटा राँगा र एउटा हाँसको बली दिने प्रचलनका साथै क्षमा पूजा गर्ने क्रममा चाँदिको सिक्री र मुकुट सहित भैरवनाथलाई चढाई मुकुन्द सेनाले प्रत्येक वर्ष क्षमा पूजा गर्ने प्रचलन भएको र हाल भने उक्त पूजा नेपाल सरकारको तर्फबाट वडा कार्यालयबाट पूजा व्यवस्थापन गर्ने प्रचलन रहिआएको छ।
भारी पूजा (महा पूजा)
यसरी नवमीको दिन मुकुन्द सेनको तर्फबाट क्षमापूजा गरिएको सन्दर्भमा त्यसको भोलिपल्ट दशमीको दिन नेपाल सरकारको तर्फबाट हाल वडा कार्यालयबाट मुकुन्द सेनले भैरवनाथको सम्मान स्वरूप क्षमा पूजा गरि प्रत्येक वर्ष क्षमापूजा गर्ने प्रचलन गरे वापत खुसीयालीको रुपमा सबैलाई प्रसाद ग्रहण गराउने उद्देश्यका साथ सबैभन्दा धेरै भक्तजन उपस्थित गरि भारी अथवा ठूलो महापूजाका रुपमा पूजा सम्पन्न गरि प्रसाद वितरणका रुपमा गरिने पूजालाई ’भारी पूजा’ (महापूजा) का रुपमा चलाउने प्रचलन चलिआएको छ। सोहि दिन सबै भक्तजनहरुले भैरवनाथलाई बलि दिई आफ्नो भाकल अनुसार बिहान सबैभन्दा पहिले पालो वाला सुवालको पूजा पश्चात् अन्य भक्तजनहरुले पूजा गर्ने चलन हालसम्म चलिआएको छ।
भैरव जात्रा
भैरव जात्राका लागि दशमीको दिन इन्द्रायणी बाजा (काल बाजा) बजाएर भैरवका मित्र हनुमानलाई आह्वान गरिन्छ। हनुमान आएपछि मात्र अजी (मनकामना) लाई, र ह्यगृव भैरवको रुपमा आजुलाई, आजु अजी मन्दिरबाट निकालेर गाउँ परिक्रमा गराउने प्रचलन छ।
भैरवनाथलाई पूजा नगरी मच्छिन्द्रनाथ को पूजा शुद्ध हुँदैन भन्ने मानिन्छ। सोहि कारणले गर्दा मच्छिन्द्रनाथको पूजा सुरुवात र समापन गर्ने बेला जहिल्यै पनि भैरवनाथको पूजा गर्ने प्रचलन रहेको छ। ‘इभु’ भन्ने दिनमा भैरवनाथलाई मच्छिन्द्रनाथ ले पूजा गर्ने भनेर भैरव मन्दिरको पछाडि गुठी संस्थानद्वारा बलि दिइन्छ। त्यसपछि अर्को राँगा बलि ईखा (पीठमा) दिएपछि उक्त राँगाको मासु प्रसादका रुपमा भैरवका वहान कुकुरहरुलाई खुवाइन्छ। त्यस्तै बाँकी रहेको मासु प्रसादको रुपमा सबै भक्तजनहरुलाई प्रसादका रुपमा बाँढेपछि भैरवनाथको पूजा सुरु हुन्छ।
यस मन्दिरमा भैरवको दुई पत्र अनुहार रहेको छ, जसमा बाहिर पट्टी चाहिँ ह्यगृव भैरव छन् भने भित्र पट्टि चाहिँ काल भैरवको मुखाकृति छ।
किम्बदन्ती अनुसार भैरवको मित भिमसेन भएकाले भैरव पूजाको क्रममा भीमसेनलाई बोलाइएको थियो। तर भैरव भने पछाडिबाट काल भैरवको रुपमा बलि खाइरहेको र आफ्ना मितलाई भने केहि नदिएर धेरै समय उभ्याइरहेकाले अब भैरवको जात्रामा केहि न केहि विघ्न वाधा ल्याइदिने भन्दै भिमसेन रिसाएर गए। सोहि कारणले गर्दा प्रत्येक वर्ष दशैंमा भैरव जात्राको समयमा भैरवका अर्का मित्र हनुमानलाई प्रतिकात्मक रुपमा इन्द्रायणी बाजा फुकेर बोलाइन्छ। हनुमान आइसकेपछि देवता निकाल्नु अगाडि सर्वप्रथमतः हनुमानले जात्राको नेतृत्व गर्दछन्। देवताहरुलाई सबै मन्दिर परिक्रमा गराइसकेपछि ढोकामा कोहि छ कि भनेर हेर्ने क्रममा जात्रामा विघ्न वाधा ल्याइदिने भनेर भिमसेन बाहिर गेटको माथि हनुमानले भीमसेनलाई देख्छन् भन्ने कथन रहेको छ। यसोहुनाले प्रत्येक वर्ष एउटा लामो बाँसको टुप्पा जसलाई हनुमानको पुच्छर मानिन्छ, जात्राको सुरुमा प्रतिकात्मक रुपमा त्यस पुच्छरले भीमसेनलाई घुमाएर फालिदिएको जस्तो दृश्य देखाइन्छ। जसपश्चात् भने हनुमान संग–संगै पछिपछि सल्चा (श्वेत घोडा), देवी देवता सहित गाउँ परिक्रमाको लागि निस्किन्छन्। त्यो श्वेत घोडा अर्थात् सल्चा, ह्यगृव भैरवको टाउकोमा रहेको छ र त्यस घोडालाई मच्छिन्द्रनाथ को प्रतीकको रुपमा मानिन्छ।
एउटा छुट्टै कथन अनुसार त्यहि श्वेत घोडाले त्यस समयका प्रसिद्ध व्यापारी सिंहसार्थ बाहुलाई यक्षिनीहरुबाट बचाएर उद्दार गरेको थियो भन्ने कुरा पनि सुनिन्छ।
यसरी सबै गाउँले, गुठीयार र भक्तजनहरुको संलग्नतामा नवमीको दिनदेखि सुरु भएको भैरव जात्रा
एकादशीको दिनसम्म भव्य रुपमा मनाएर सम्पन्न हुन्छ।
सन्दर्भ
पानेजु संघ, बुङ्गमती
