Tongue piercing festival in Madhyapurthimi today

Bhadgaun (Bhaktapur), Sept 7: On the occasion of Ashwin Shukla Poornima, ‘Yenya Punhi Mye Pwa: Khanegu Jatra’ or the Tongue Piercing Festival is being held in Madhyapurthimi this evening. 

The festival starts at 7:00 pm from Digubhairav Dabali in Diguli, Madhyapurthimi-5.

This year too, Birendra Bhakta Gaju Shrestha from Balkumari, Madhyapurthimi-4 is piercing his tongue to give continuity to the traditional festival. 

There are two tongue piercing festivals that take place in Madhyapurthimi. The first is the tongue piercing festival held in Bode on the occasion of Biskha Jatra every year on Baisakh 2 and the second is on the day after Indra Jatra, i.e. on the day of Ashwin Shukla Poornima.

Both the festivals have their own characteristics, with the one in Bode where only one person pierces the tongue and hence there is a fixed route for circumambulating as part of the festival. However, in the ‘Yenya Punhi Mye Pwa Khanegu Jatra’ of Thimi there can be more than one person who pierces the tongue. 

In Thimi, the people who have pierced the tongue circumambulate according to their wishes. 

Birendra Bhakta had his tongue pierced for the first time in 2074 BS. He pierced his tongue for the second time in 2079 BS and continued the procession by piercing his tongue for the third time last year.

Birendra Bhakta said that he is ready to get his tongue pierced to keep the history, tradition and culture of Thimi alive. He said that he had visited Pashupatinath last year and decided to go to Bhaktapur this year as he wanted to visit Datta Yatra and Nava Durga. (RSS)