Tudaldevi Jatra: Nepalese festival where Goddesses search for missing jewellery

Apr 08, 2023

Kathmandu (Nepal), Apr 08 (ANI): Thousands of devotees stood on the pond’s edge, which is now surrounded by high-edging houses to celebrate Tudaldevi Jatra. The beat of traditional musical instruments was signalling the arrival of goddesses, who will be toured around the pond three times in search of missing jewellery. The Tudaldevi Jatra, commonly known as "Gahana Khojne Jatra," translated as "A festival to search for jewellery," is celebrated every year on Chaitra Shukla Ashtami according to the lunar calendar. This year, the festival was marked on Friday evening. The festival, which goes on for a week, features goddesses touring around the ancient city of Hadigaun, but on the main day of the Jatra, the idol of Goddess Tudaldevi Baishnavi is placed on a chariot that is pulled from her temple at Baluwatar and taken through the ancient town of Hadigaun by devotees. On the way to Gahana Pokhari, the chariot is stopped multiple times at the doorsteps of the houses where red mud is painted in front. This is a symbol for the chariot to halt and devotees take their time to pay respects and make various offerings to the goddess. One of the interesting offerings is an umbrella that is hung on the top of the chariot. Once the chariot arrives at Gahana Pokhari, two men take three rounds of the pond with a silver pole (like a spectre) on their hands. The main chariot is accompanied around the pond by another chariot of Goddess Mahalaxmi, the youngest sister of Tudaldevi, which is also called Manekhat.