Sunday, September 11, 2011

History of Bagh Bhairav

There was a very old settlement in days gone by . It was a village nestled in a plain land called Narago  near a dense jungle . The people thereof lived on cultivating the land . So, they tamed the cattle , besides , they were very skilful in craft manship . They were very expert in constructing the buildings, making woodcarving and weaving cloths. The men worked in the field , the women wove cloths or did their housework in the field , the women wove cloths or did their housework and the boys and girls grazed the cattle in the jungle .
The place where the shepherds used to graze the cattle was a grassy ground. There was a small fountain , which poured out of a wooded hill called in those days padmakastha giri down to a little lower part of the ground and ran freshly forth down the field . The shepherds had free time while grazing the cattle in the jungle. Sometimes they played games , the other times they made toys out of clay , but more often they made different kinds of clay animals , because they were always with their tamed animals . so their brains were full of the images of those animals .
One day the shepherd boys went to graze their sheep in the grassy ground at the foot of the wooded hill, Padmakastha Giri . The boys got there and set their sheep free to eat the grasses and the leaves of the trees. They talked to one another as to what kind of thing they would like to make that day. After some time, they decided to make a tiger out from the clay . so they went to the side of the  fountain moistened a heap of clay . When the clay became soft , they began to make an idol of a tiger . They tried and tried to give a new shape of tiger very skillfully with the mouth open. at last they made it as if a real tiger , but it was without a tongue in it .
Therefore, they went into the jungle to fetch a leaf to fit it in the mouth of the clay  tiger as a tongue , and they had to search for it for a long time . at that time , they could not get  suitable leaf to add as a tongue .
Just at the same time Lord Shiva , after a long time’s walking with his son Ganesh , arrived at that spot and rested there on a big stone . Ganesh did not stay there . He went into the jungle . At that time Lord Shiva wondered to see there the very beautiful clay – made tiger. There he saw some sheep being grazed a little further . he waited and waited for his son Ganesh to go away from there , but Ganesh did not come back there . by that time he was tired and hungry . Therefore he as summed the form of Bhairab and incorporated into the clay tiger and devoured all the sheep thereof .
After some time the shepherd – boys came back there with a leaf . They wondered , because they could not see any of the sheep . They sought their sheep everywhere about that shot , but they were disappointed . At last they saw drop of blood and pieces of bones scattered here and there . Then they knew not what had happened . They went near to the clay- tiger where some blood and pieces of bones were . The boys suspected that it had devoured their sheep . At that time it yawed , ad the boys saw blood and pieces of meat and bones in its mouth . Then the boys cursed it. “ let your mouth be always open “ the tiger roared at them , and they ran to their village and told their parents what had happened in their grassy grazing ground . Soon the men and the women went to that spot and saw the clay- made tiger lying there in that spot . At that time the resounding of the roars of tigers were so terribly heard that they also ran back to their village.
Since that time the roars of the tigers thundered through the spheres and over the villages and jungles . so the people had the fear of tigers always in their mind . Apart from the people of Narago village , the other people of Panga and Naga also were very afraid because of the resounding of the roars of the tigers from the jungles . The people of the three villages thought that some deity might have been unpleased with them . So there was the fear of the tigers . and they called in a very famous tantrik  from Sanga situated to the eastern side near Banepa . the tantrik examined everything and exercised his austerities . at last he came to know that Bhairab , the most awful and terrifying deity , incorporated into the clay – made tiger and he got furious and raged . He advised them that they should calm the anger of the deity to be free from the fear and danger of the tigers . all agreed with him . they requested him to please the awful Bhairab by means of tantra . accordingly a buffalo a sheep and a goat were sacrificed to the clay- made tiger with the ritual and tantric performances on the first day of bhadra , on the day of sinha sankrati , and the deity was pleased . then the deity was called Bagh Bhairab .
Since that day onward , after sacrificing a buffalo , a goat and a sheep to this deity a jatra a Bagh Bhairab has been held there in kirtipur , when the women with the sukundas in their hands have a walk round the city of kirtipur with the chariot of Bagh Bhairab preceded by the different kinds of musical bands . And the people have honoured this deity as their guardian deity .

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