Digu Tole's tongue piercing Jatra on Sunday

Kathmandu, Sept. 3: When people talk about tongue-piercing Jatra, many think it is Bode’s, which is celebrated during Bhaktapur’s Biska Jatra. They may not know that Madhyapur Thimi Municipality also hosts a similar festival at Digu Tole. This year it is scheduled for Sunday evening.

The Digu Tole tongue-piercing festival is held annually the day after Indra Jatra. It starts from the Dabali near Prachanda Bhairav Temple. While the rules and needle designs vary, all carry cultural significance, and residents celebrate both festivals with devotion.

This year, 38-year-old Birendra Bhakta Shrestha, a resident of Balkumari, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Ward No. 4, will perform the tongue-piercing ritual of Digu Tole for the fourth time.

Shrestha first participated in 2017, then in 2022 and 2024, reviving a ritual dormant since 2006, when Krishna Nani Shrestha last performed it. 

The barefoot tongue-piercing procession to the Navadurga and Dattatraya temples will be held the day after Indra Jatra, on the evening of Bhadra Sukla Purnima on September 7.

In the past two years, the festival was celebrated by piercing the tongue and carrying the Aakashdeep from Madhyapur Thimi to the Pashupatinath Temple. 

This year, it has been announced that the festival will proceed to Navadurga and Dattatraya as per the desires of the participants.

He said, “My first attempt to pierce my tongue in 2017 was held after a gap of 11 years. I pierced my tongue when no one else was ready for it. Earlier, in 1999, 2003, and 2006, Krishna Nani Shrestha performed the tongue-piercing ritual. The Jatra was disrupted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The tongue-piercing fast begins two days before the festival. During this period, the man who pierces his tongue is not allowed to eat or drink for about 36 hours. He should observe a fast by eating a single meal eight days before the festival.

Talking to The Rising Nepal, Shrestha said that everyone needs to help preserve this culture. 

An 11-member Management Committee has been formed to organise the festival.

 Pradeep Shrestha, a local cultural expert, said that the specialty of the tongue-piercing festival of Digu Tole is that it can be performed in a group. Records show that 17 individuals had pierced their tongues in the past. 

According to tradition, the needles should be taken to the Balkumari Temple after piercing. Over 340 bunches of needles have been found at the temple’s doors, poles, and other areas, indicating the number of people who pierced their tongue for the festival in the past.

Pradeep Shrestha said, “My late grandfather, Bhakti Narayan Jaman Shrestha, told us that he pierced his tongue at the age of seven in a group of five people in 1941/42.”

After piercing the tongue with a 10-inch-long, half-inch-thick iron needle, the man must visit different localities of Madhyapur Thimi, carrying a 40 kg half-moon-shaped Aakashdeep made with 19 sticks of Nigalo (Himalayan bamboo).

Babu Kaji Shrestha, who holds the position of Karmi Naike, has been piercing tongues for the ceremony and will also pierce Shrestha’s tongue this year. Likewise, Ram Bhakta Nakarmi has crafted the iron needle needed for the ritual. On the tongue-piercing day, oil-fed lamps are lit in every temple of Madhyapur Thimi. When the man returns home, the Karmi Naike performs a tantric puja and offers him a silver necklace.

The ceremony will be held at the Dabali in front of the Bhairav Temple. Shrestha will then visit different localities of Madhyapur Thimi carrying the half-moon-shaped Aakashdeep. Last year, he visited the Pashupatinath Temple; this year, he will visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square after touring Madhyapur Thimi.

Shrestha's tongue will be pierced at 7:00 pm on Sunday evening. The team, including Birendra Bhakta Shrestha, will then proceed to Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

After circumambulating Bhaktapur, he will return to Degu Tole. At the end of the walk, the iron needle will be removed in front of Balkumari Temple, and the hole in the tongue will be filled with sacred mud from the temple. The needle will then be placed at the temple’s door the following day. The ritual begins with worshiping Nakarmi on Janai Purnima and requesting him to make the ceremonial needle. The trident-shaped needle is soaked in mustard oil for a month. 

Cultural expert Shrestha highlighted that the Digu Tole festival is unique because it can be performed in a group. Historical records show that up to 17 people participated simultaneously, though group participation has now faded.

Madhyapur Thimi Municipality has been allocating Rs. 30,000 since 2017 to organise the festival.