Yita Chapaa, in Kathmandu’s Asan market, was used between 1201-1779 AD as a quarantine centre by Newar merchants travelling on the busy Tibet-India trade routes, all intersecting in the Kathmandu Valley. Those who come back home after years of staying abroad – Tibet or India – were mandatory to stay self-quarantine there in this building. The highly ritualised tradition was aimed at protecting the local community but also reflected many other aspects of society.
However, in recent centuries, those arriving from India were only required to drink chiretta brew for its anti-malaria properties, while Lhasa merchants and aids were made to quarantine for 14-22 days on the suspicion of being exposed to more infectious and deadly diseases.
At the end of quarantine, they would undergo a purification ritual that would also restore their caste status and privileges, and obtain a certification allowing them to re-enter society and return to their families.
Thus, Yita Chapaa (Southern pavilion) was one of the quarantine homes from the 13th to the 18th centuries still exists in Asan market at its southern side. This structure is not just a building but an evidence of how advanced and farsighted the Kathmandu Valley civilisation was.
The self-quarantine was popularly known as ‘nee chwanegu’ in Nepal Bhasa, which menas ’devotion for purification’, as the traders had journeyed in faraway lands and consorted with people from unknown places, they could have been contaminated – both spiritually and physically. So, custom required that they keep social distance until they had completed the stipulated rituals to cleanse themselves.
This was once again come to light in the COVID-19 lockdown period when quarantine was a mandatory for protecting from corona virus. This ancient rule practised in Nepal was also meant to precaution to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases.
The ’nee chwanegu’ system is said to go back to the Malla period, when the Tibet trade reached a peak. The ceremonial square and vibrant bazaar straddles the trade route to Lhasa that traverses the Kathmandu Valley – one reason why it should come as no surprise that the Tuladhars, key players in the Tibet trade, have their ancestral homes here. Yita Chapaa, the community hall. Oldsters recall that Tibet-returned merchants would self-isolate here for 15 days before re-entering their homes. There was a sunken water spout Bhotahiti which was there on the street leading into Asan from Ratnapark which only remains in oral history. The traders would bathe under its gushing water and make themselves presentable before stepping foot in the city as well.
Living in close quarters in densely packed neighbourhoods, the highly urbanised Newars developed the practice of self-isolation to prevent the spread of infectious diseases; it continued down the centuries into modern times. The tradition was given up in the 1960s after the old Tibet trade came to an end. With the coronavirus continuing its worldwide rampage, people are recalling the ancient system of self-isolation. Only a few of the Lhasa Newar merchants who observed the cultural practice are still living.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City had extended financial support for the reconstruction of the Yita Chapaa while Department of Archaeology availed technical support. Similarly, locals and stakeholders have been supporting the reconstruction works of Yita Chapaa to stand with pride.
