Cultures of Bhaktapur

Cultures of Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur also known as Bhadgaon or Khowpa, is an ancient Newar dominated town which refers to" the city of Devotees." It is in the east corner of Kathmandu valley, Nepal. It is located in Bagmati zone in Bhaktapur district. It was the capital during the second half of the 15th century. It was the king Yakshys Malla who heavily fortified his capital city in a bid to make it vulnerable. Yet, in the course of time and owing to continual invasions by intruders and subsequent natural calamities, the forts crumbled but the huge gateway and the callosal Dattatray temple still bear testimony to incredible achievement made in those days of Newar Malla kings.

Culture can be defined as the ways of thinking , the ways of acting and the materials objects that together shape the people's way of life. Culture is like the shell of Lobster. Human nature is the organism living inside the shell and the shell itself being culture that identifies the culture. According to the sociologists, culture can be of any two types, i.e. materialistic and non- materialistic culture.


Bhaktapur city is also known as the example for the flourishing city of cultures. It is the cities of devotees where art, culture and religion are part of life of the inhabitants. It is the city listed in the world heritage by UNESCO for its rich culture, temples, wood, metal and stone artworks. Not only that, it is renowned all over the world as non other cities that holds such norms and values as in Bhaktapur. Here, men wear Daura Surwal  with Dhakatopi and women wear choli and Haku-patasi. About 90% of the inhabitants are Newars. So, mostly Nepal Bhasa (Newari) language is spoken. Any guest in the city is believed to be the god, i.e. "Atithi Debo Bhaba" and greeted by joining hands together and saying"Namaste" with sweet smile on the face. As most of the people are hindus, their days start by worshipping gods with a belief that they would protect them from evils. The musical instruments played with heart touching tunes and dances danced with complete devotee is the unique characteristic found here.

Similarly, Bisket jatra, Gai jatra, Indra jatra, Gathamuga Chare, Yomari puni,etc are the festivals celebrated throughout the year. Bhairab naach, Mahakali pyankhan, Beta pyankhyan, Kumari pyankhan, Aastamatrika naach, Khya pyankhan, etc. are traditional dances danced in the presence of traditional instruments and dresses that are viewed with the same enthusiasm that was centuries ago. In the same way, Nyatapola temple, 55 window palace, Bhairav temple, Taleju, Changu Narayan, Balkumari, Siddhikali, the Golden Gate, statue of Bhupatendra Malla, etc. are the famous cultural heritage in Bhaktapur.

The mentioned festivals cultural dances and cultural heritages have marked space in every visitors heart. Most of the festivals are celebrated in order to be blessed with good fortunes. The people during the celebrations, always have the feeling of harmony, love and respect towards one another. Such cultures have played a remarkable role in attraction of internal and external tourist which is one of the sources of economy too. Many of the cultural dances  performed and festivals celebrated here depict the seasons, pay tribute to gods and remind the historical and legendary events. The social and economic conditions of the inhabitants, even today, can be known through their performance of such cultures.
With the passage of time, it is expected that traditional cities is becoming endangered and begin to loose their traditional identities if not protected well. The concerned municipality mainly focus on the preservation of historical monuments only, which is not sufficient for preserving the complete identity of the city. Timely, attention should be provided in order not to loose our peculiar identity. Rather than imitating the foreign cultures ourselves. We should be able of making the visitors imitate us. The need and importance of these cultures and cultural heritages should be flowed to the young and energetic generations formally or informally as they are the future ruler. The tremendous cultural loss due to the cultural degradation and deterioration can be avoided if we , the people of Bhaktapur hold our hands together to save our cultures and heritages. So, Lets give chance to our posterity to view and get involved in such cultural activities. " LETS SAVE OUR CULTURE".

"PROUD TO BE BHAKTAPURIANS"
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