Panauti Nepal: Trending, but this is an ancient place
Panauti word is trending on the twitter since Sunday. But very few people know that there is a place about 1200 km from National Capital Delhi, in our neighbouring country Nepal. The ancient name of the place was Palati and then it became Panchali and later it came to be known as Panauti.
Panauti, Nepal
Located about 33 kilometres away from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, Panauti is a leftover reminiscence of a time long bygone. The word ”Panauti’ in Hindi means ‘unlucky’, and for some reason unknown, it sits perfectly well with the historical background of this medieval city. At one glance, the town of Panauti is a gloomy chock-a-block of wooden houses, public halls, temples and shops, all settled together resembling the shape of a large fish in the laps of Himalayan greenery. Though still dotted with enough places worth mentioning, there is a feeling of waning spread all across the once prosperous town.
On the north-east of the town lies the peak of Goraknath Hill at 2100 ft., from where a breath-taking panoramic view of this ancient town can be seen. There are occasional courtyards or public squares as well, but you will not see a crowd of tourists strolling around in this town. Unlike Kathmandu, the streets of Panauti are still safe from the undue encroachment of the travelling kind, and probably that is why it still retains much of its vintage charms in the wooden buildings and the laid-back sense around the town.
What is Panauti Nepal famous for?
Makar Mela
Panauti is situated at the convergence of two main rivers, Rosi and Punyamati which has been regarded as a significant religious site. In Nepali society, it is also believed that rivers are sacred places and such a visit lets man to cleanse his body and be freed from sins and angsts.
The main indigenous culture of Panauti Nepal is of the Newaris, which is spread over the bigger cities of Bhaktapur, Patan and Kathmandu. Their traditions and centuries old, and one of the most popular ones is the masked dance in dedication to multiple gods and goddesses.
This Jatra is a fest of coupling ritual between Lord Unmata Bhairava and Goddesses Bhadrakali. In this rath yatra, the association analogy between Lord Bhairava and Bhadrakali is depicted and indirectly expressed, so it is accustomed to do some stages of the rath yatra secretly at night.
The Indreshwar Temple in Durbar Square has stood there since the inception of Panauti. The town was originally a marriage gift to the sister by King Bhupatindra Malla, though there are other ancient stories among the local folklore as well. There is supposedly a golden scripture inside the Indreshwar Temple dating back to 1385, which mentions King Harisingh Dev as the founder of the town.
Nevertheless, the picturesque town of today was once a bustling trading hub during the period of the kings and the queens. Though initially founded as a separate town, it was later brought under the unified kingdom of Nepal, as the resident ethnicity of Newars grew stronger and more dominant.
Even long before that, the area of Panauti was an essential stop along the ancient Salt Trade route between India and Tibet. With transformation came the building of highways and bypasses, and the commercial importance of Panauti faded step by step. However, its former glory is survived by a string of temples and a vibe of festivity that not even centuries could move on from Panauti.