Rato Machhindranath chariot procession resumes

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 16: The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath, the rain god will resume from August 1.  Currently, the chariot of Machhindranath is kept at Thati Tole in Lalitpur. 

Baikuntha Acharya, Chief of Patan Guthi Sansthan, said that the chariot was stopped at Thati Tole after surrounding various places like Gahbahal, Mangalbazar, Sundhara and Lagankhel of Lalitpur city.

The Bhoto exhibition ceremony will be held on August 4 if the chariot reaches, Jawalkhel on the same day from Thati Tol on August 1. 

The Bhoto jatra will be held on August 5, and it takes two days for the chariot to reach Jawalakhel, said Acharya. 

The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath, which takes place every year in Lalitpur, is known as the oldest and longest-running jatra in the Kathmandu Valley. 

This year’s chariot procession has started from May 11. This year's jatra will end after the Bhoto exhibition ceremony in the presence of the head of the state. 

Acharya further said that the chariot was repaired after some problems occurred during chariot pulling this year and the procession resumed after the chariot was repaired. 

The chariots will be kept at Thati Tol till July 31. The devotees are currently offering prayers, he said. There are priests in the chariot to worship Rato Machhindranath. Nepal Police has been deployed for the security of the chariot.