Bisket festival begins in Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur: The historically and culturally important festival Bisket jatra of Bhaktapur began on Wednesday as per the tantric rituals with the advent of the new year of Bikram Sambat.

The festival that runs for nine days and eight nights in Bhaktapur , starts four days before the New Year day and runs after five days of the New Year.

On the first day of the Bisket Jatra today, the festival began with traditional rituals by worshiping Bhairav Nath this morning, the Guthi Sansthan said.

This morning, local residents worshiped Bhairav and Bhairav chariot is pulled from the five-story temple at Taumadhi from afternoon after special worship by Taleju Naike Narendra Prasad Joshi by putting Khadga in the Bhairav chariot, accompanied with traditional band music after the sword is submitted to main priest of Taleju, after government sponsored puja of Bhairav and Betal by the Guthi Sansthan. The festival is being celebrated since the Lichchhabi times.

source: The Kathmandu post,10 april 2013