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

A member of the Rato Machhindranath Trust displays the jewel-studded vest, locally called Bhoto, during the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath, observed for at least a month to four months, ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath starts around 1,300 years ago. As the legend goes, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings 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 succeeds in proving ownership of the bhoto so far. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)

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