Namobuddha Jatra (Fair) on Kartik Shukla Purnima
Kartik Shukla Purnima is observed as the day when, according to legend, a prince sacrificed his life to save a tigress. Namobuddha in Kavrepalanchok—an important historical, religious, scenic, and tourist site—is known as the place connected with this act, prior to Gautama Buddha’s rebirth in Lumbini.
Name and Location
Documents state that the site was named “Namobuddha” from the salutation “Namo Buddhaya Namah.”
Municipality and Ward: Namobuddha Municipality–11, Namobuddha.
Fair and Schedule
On the occasion of Kartik Shukla Purnima, a fair is held from Chaturdashi to Pratipada at Namobuddha. This year, the fair is being observed from Tuesday for three days.
Legend of the Compassionate Prince
According to tradition, a chaitya at Namobuddha was built over the interred bones of the same prince from the Dwapar era, and devotees light lamps and offer worship at the place where he gave up his life. Each year, large crowds of Buddhist faithful gather for rituals and lamp lighting.
Attendance and Rituals
The temple management committee states that about 50,000 people visit Namobuddha annually during the fair for darshan and worship. The fair opens on the first night and continues with traditional songs and dances throughout its duration.
According to Namobuddha Guthi chair Lopsang Bajra Lama, lamps are lit during the fair in remembrance of ancestors.
He says, “Lamps are lit here every year for the ancestors, and there is a belief that lighting the lamps brings them light for the whole year.”
Communities and the Royal Lineage Story
Chief Lama Guru Kancha Lama of Namobuddha says that followers from the Tamang and Newar communities especially attend the fair. According to him, King Maharath and Queen Satyawati of the former Panchaladesh (Panauti state) had three sons. While hunting in the eastern Gandhaman mountain (forest), the youngest prince, seeing a starving tigress with newborn cubs, fed her with his own blood and flesh, sacrificed his life, and thus saved her.
On this belief, a large fair is held every Kartik Shukla Purnima. Lama Guru adds, “The tigress that would bear five cubs is regarded as Lakshmi, and the five cubs are regarded as monks. After the prince saved the tigress and gave up his life, the king and queen spent the rest of their lives near that place in service to the chaitya, and later came to be known as Shankheswari Aji–Ajima.”
Early Inscription and Altitude
An inscription records that in Samvat 974, a stupa (chaitya) was built at the summit of the Gandhaman mountain by gathering the bones.
Altitude: 8,000 feet.
A sculpture depicting the scene of the prince cutting his own flesh to feed the tigress is installed on this mountain. Local resident Rakesh Lama says that devotees from Nepal and abroad visit Namobuddha throughout the year.
Other Annual Fairs
A fair is also held at Namobuddha on Bhadra Krishna Dwadashi and Chaitra Krishna Dwadashi. By tradition, on Bhadra Krishna Dwadashi, the palanquin of Namobuddha is brought to the royal palace in Panauti, and a grand procession is organized that includes Dipankara Buddha and Aji–Ajima.
Prince’s Birthplace: Kashivarna Mahavihar, now near the famous Taleju Bhawani in Panauti.
Former Flora and Fauna of Gandhaman Mountain
The mountain (now the tourist site of Namobuddha) once had hundreds of species of trees such as kalpavriksha, rudraksha, ashoka, masala, uttis, salla, agrakh, lapsi, camphor, kafal, and sandalwood, and wildlife such as tiger, bear, wild boar, rabbit, and deer.
Access and Distances
Routes:
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From Panauti via the Shankhu valley.
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From the tourist town of Dhulikhel by hiking to Namobuddha.
On-site Structures: A large monastery, temple, monasteries, and chaityas; a Buddhist school operates at the monastery.
Distance from Kathmandu: 32 km.
Distance from Dhulikhel: 18 km south.
The area features Lama and Mahayana monasteries, large stone Buddha statues, and chaityas.
Additional Temple
“Namobuddha Mahasattva Degal,” a temple in the style of a traditional Newari house, is also present.
Views
From this mountain, one can view Panauti and the Himalayan range.
Kavre Festival