BHAKTAPUR. The Lichhavi-period Nilbarahi Naach, which is celebrated
for three days and four nights in Bode of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, will be
performed only at night due to corona. Believing in the divine power, this
dance of Gunlaga Dwitiya i.e. Saparu will start from around 10 pm Today night. The
meeting with the ward chairpersons of 8 and 9 has decided to conduct the dance
only at night this year.
In previous years, there was a tradition of
performing dance in Total at night and in the afternoon and the locals used to
offer pooja. However, this year it has been decided to perform Main (Mool)
Puja. It has been decided not to stop this dance this year but not in the
afternoon.
This dance starts from Bode's Akha: Dyo Chhe and
ends at Narayanthan Lachi, Laiku Chhe, Vishnughat, Mahalakshmi Than, Bhangutol,
Khasi Tol, Nilbarahi and ends at Akha: Dyo Chhe. According to Dil Krishna
Prajapati, a local youth, there is a tradition of showing the dance of Nilbarahi Devi in the rhythm of Dhan
Baja, Bhusya, Kanya and Panga Baja in the chowk of each toll road.
There are 19 deities including Bhairav one,
Barahi four, Kumari four, Lion four gatekeeper two and Ganesh four in this
deity. . During the dance period, the deities are not allowed to eat, sit,
talk, wear umbrellas in the sun, do not urinate and do not even wear shoes.
The dance god is taken out of the house. Before
performing the dance, the dance is prepared from the second to the full moon.
Which is called 'Pyakhan Synegu' in Newari language. There is a tradition of
playing instruments including tah while teaching dance. It is mentioned in the
genealogy that in 633 BCE, King Bhuvan Malla started Navdurga dance in Bhaktapur, Bhairav
dance in Thimi and Nilbarahi dance
in Bode due to famine in Bhaktapur.
According to the legend, a farmer from Bode who
went to work in the field is believed to have been taken by Nilbarahi Devi to the Nilbarahi forest
and taught dance according to the Tantric method. The dance taught by the
goddess herself has been performed by the locals since the Lichhavi period by playing the role of various deities. Similarly,
the place where Nilbarahi Devi
taught dance to farmers is still in the Nilbarahi forest.
