Shrestha pierces tongue for 2nd time

Kathmandu, Apr. 15: Sujan Baga Shrestha, a resident of Khasi, Bode, Madhyapur Thimi, has pierced his tongue for the second time to commemorate the tongue piercing festival held on Sunday. 

Aiming to preserve the dying culture, the 28-year-old Shrestha of Bode Ward No 8 has been performing the tongue-piercing act since last year.  Shrestha's tongue was pierced with a 10-inch long iron needle today. 

Krishna Chandra Baga Shrestha, Sujan Baga's uncle had pierced his tongue 12 times in the past to give continuation to the tradition. 

Naike Krishna Chandra Baga Shrestha performed a special worship of various gods of the locality before the ceremony. 

The person who pierces the tongue is brought to the courtyard of the Ganesh temple playing various musical instruments and the tongue is pierced in front of everyone. The traditional music called ‘Nathakhi’ was played amid the ceremony.   

After the tongue piercing ceremony, Shrestha visited different localities of Bode for two to three hours carrying a half-moon-shaped Mahadeep, made using 13 sticks of Nigalo (a type of bamboo).

After circumambulating the Bode area, the iron needle was taken out at the Mahalaxmi Temple and the hole in the tongue was filled with mud from the temple’s premises. The needle was then kept at the Ganesh Temple door, located on the right side of the Nrityanath Temple. Sujan observed a three-day fasting from Friday night at the temple of Nrityanath. Drinking only water, he abstained from non-vegetarian meals. It is believed that something will go wrong while piercing the tongue if he violates the custom. 

As per the legend ghosts, vampires, spirits and skeletons lived on the right and left side of Neelbarahi in Bode and inflicted pain on the Bode people. According to the tantric lore, after knowing this, tantric Bhimadatta Karmacharya came there and laid a trap.

Karmacharya forbade people from working in the fields for a month. When evil spirits looked at the field from the courtyard of the Neelbarahi and did not see anyone, they tried to enter Bode.

A vampire (Khayak) who tried to enter through the western door of the four entrances to Bode, fell into tantric Bhimadatta's trap.

Khayak's tongue was pierced and he was made to carry a heavy load of wood. Unable to bear the pain, the Khayak pleaded for mercy, assuring that he would comply with the order.  

The Khayak then promised to not cause trouble to the Bode people and came to pierce his tongue on the same day for seven years.

After Nilbarahi expressed his anger in a dream that he would not spare Bhimadatta because he had insulted his doorman, Bhimadatta repented and performed a ritual of forgiveness by piercing his tongue, which is still practiced today.

According to the promise, the tongue of the vampire was pierced seven times and after that, it did not come. It is believed that Bhimdatta Karmacharya established the tradition of piercing the tongue of Bode residents.

Records show that 13 people have had their tongues pierced in the festival's 111-year-old history. As per the age-old tradition, only the locals of Bode from the Shrestha clan can volunteer to get their tongue pierced.   

It is believed that the festival began from the time of King Jagajyoti Malla.

With its long and illustrious history, the locals of Bode eagerly await the festival and celebrate it with much fervor every year.