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Nepal Observes Bhoto Jatra, Formally Ending Months Long Rato Machhindranath Chariot Procession

Municipal cleanliness staff wash the ground ahead of the Bhoto Jatra procession, which marks the end of the months-long Rato Machhindranath chariot procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath is observed for at least one month to four months and ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machhindranath started around 1,300 years ago. According to legend, shortly after the procession started, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak developed an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistook a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brought him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one has succeeded in proving ownership of the bhoto so far. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)

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