The Nepal Weekly 
October 11, 2024
Paayaa which is also known as Khadga Jatra is observed in the evening of Tika (Dashami) of Dashain festival in different locations and settlements of the Kathmandu Valley is observed in a parade demonstrating traditional arms.
The festival commences with the four main priests of the Taleju Bhawani temple among others performing puja as per the Tantric tradition at the Taleju Bhawani Temple. The time-honoured festival marked the veneration of Godess Taleju’s Khadga, considered her embodiment.
The festival began with the worship of weapons, including the Khadga which was later handed over by the priest of Taleju Agam Temple to the Rajopadhyaya. The Rajopadhyaya carries the Khadga on his shoulder and took around the city for the members of public to worship.
Paayaa is the ceremony to pay homage to the warrior deities as well as commemorating the brave ancestors who fought invaders and protected the settlements and communities. The authorised persons carrying swords and other war gears come out for the parade to the defined routes in their localities.
This festival obligates the community to fully involve themselves, which is gleefully showcased by their willingness to participate in the procession consisting of members from the Newar community, who advance towards various areas of Nepal.
In this enthusiastic events exhibit the victory gained over lies and deceitfulness, by truth and trust.
The celebration transpires in salient places, in particular Kathmandu- Taleju, Bhaktapur, Banepa Panauti and Patan. Nonetheless, each place has its own formalities that fall under prioritization, emanating to differentiate the celebration from one another. This ancestral ceremony lasts for approximately 8 to 9 days, starting from Durbar square in Lalitpur, then proceeding accordingly.
The birth of this legendary procession originated from the very Lichchhavi period which lasted from 400 to 700 CE. So as King Mandev has been deemed credible for accomplishing his desires to initiate such tradition in history. Thereby, the Jatra has been known to be associated with Goddess Man Maneshwari worshipped by King Mandev embodying the reasoning for the King commencing to showcase the gratitude he possessed for the goddess.
