पचली भैरब जात्रा – Pachali Bhairava Festival

पचली भैरब जात्र
On the fifth day of the Dasain festival, locals celebrate Pachali Bhairava festival at the main entrance to the ancient Kathmandu. Pachali Bhairava is the guardian of the ancient Kathmandu.

Caretakers of Lord Bhairava place a large gold-gilded silver Jar about one-and-a-half meters high with Bhairava embossed on it at the stone image of Lord Bhairava at the Pachali shrine before dawn on that day.

People from surrounding areas make offerings to Lord Bhairava on the silver jar. Some people make offerings of animal sacrifices to it. That goes on for that whole day.

At that night, they take the big silver vessel in a procession led by traditional musical bands to various parts of old Kathmandu, and then to Hanuman Dhoka. After a special ceremony at Hanuman Dhoka, the gold-gilded Jar with Bhairava is returned to Pachali. It remains there with the caretaker.

On that night, locals in the Pachali area close even keyholes before going to bed believing that Betal: an attendant to Bhairava comes in search of Bhairava; and if Betal runs across a human means instant death occurs to him/her.