Mahankal Jatra celebrated in Bouddhanath to promote religious harmony

The Bouddhanath Area Development Committee celebrated the historic Boudhanath Mahankal Jatra with ritual worship performed by Lama, Bajracharya, and Brahmin priests to promote religious harmony.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey and Defence Minister Manbir Rai attended the ceremony, which was organized by the committee for the first time at the government level. Both ministers praised the committee for its efforts in fostering unity through religious traditions.

On Tuesday, after the ritual worship, the idol of Mahankal was placed on a palanquin and carried from Mahakal to Ramhiti, passing through Thimchuli, and then returned to Mahakal via Tushaal and Chuchchepati.

Mahankal, a revered deity in both Hinduism and Buddhism, is worshipped as a fierce protector and a form of Lord Shiva. The deity is depicted in three forms—two-armed, four-armed, and six-armed—and temples dedicated to Mahankal are found across Nepal.

In Bouddha, the festival specifically celebrates the two-armed form of Mahankal.