Jya Punhi/World Environment Day | ज्यापुन्ही/विश्व वातावरण दिवस | 2077 Jestha 23 | Hamro Patro

Jya: Punhi | Panauti Jatra | World environment day

The eighth month of the Newa calendar is Tachala which coincides with the second month of Bikram Samvat. The full moon begins on the 15th day, starting with the new moon. This month is also divided into Shuklapaksha and Chandrapaksha which are called Tachala Thwa and Tachala Ga.

 Now we would like to present here the two great Newa festivals brought by the divine month of Tachla, in which Sithi Nakha falls on the sixth of Shukla Paksha. We have already given the details of this Sithi Nakha. In short, this Sithi Nakha is a festival of water source sanitation, community unity, and worship of Kumar Kartik.

 Now let's talk about the day of the full moon which is also called Gaindu Purne. On this day all Hindus and Buddhists celebrate together with joy. For Buddhists, this day is celebrated as Jya Punhi. It is said that Prince Siddhartha left home in search of knowledge on this day.

There are some arguments that Buddha left his wife and son at home when he left home and thus disturbed his wife and son by abandoning domestic life and acquiring tragedy but several Buddhist scriptures acknowledge Yashodhara for her contribution and support to Buddha in his knowledge pursuit. In any case, on this full moon, Gautama Buddha gave up his domestic life to gain knowledge. The importance of this full moon is associated with knowledge and sacrifice, so the Newa community celebrates this full moon with joy. The originality of this pilgrimage is connected with the ancient and holy city of Panauti, 30 km southeast of Kathmandu.

As a tributary of the Roshi, Punyamati, and Padmavati rivers, Panauti is a sacred city in Nepal that has been preserving art and cultural heritages for thousands of years. This Jatra is a fest of mating ritual between Lord Unmata Bhairava and Goddesses Bhadrakali. In this rath yatra, the intercourse analogy between Lord Bhairava and Bhadrakali is depicted and indirectly expressed, so it is customary to do some stages of the rath yatra secretly at night. During the rath yatra, the chariots are taken to different places of the city, and water is sprinkled on the chariots.

It takes 9 days to complete the Archana and Jatra versions of Jya Punhi, therefore the arrival and departure of Punhi last for 9 days. Dashami of Shuklapaksha, the Achanju priest offers sacrifices to the Tantric deities. On this auspicious day, the holy bath in the Punyamati Khola and Roshi Khola, also known as Roshimati are of special importance. This ritual is also called the Panauti bath.

We want to tell a little legend when the river Punyamati was flooded many years ago and the priest had to cross the river to worship Brahmani and Bhadrakali. At the same time, the story of the priest crossing the river with the help of Vasuki Nag is heard throughout the procession.

This year's Jya Punhi or Panauti Punhi or Gaihu Purne, whatever you say, best wishes for this Purne. May the calm, civilized, positive, and inspiring energy always move in our life like the full moon of Shukla paksha. This is a year of adversity and uncertainty, COVID19 Pandemic has an immense impact on our culture, festivals, and congregations. The Panauti Jatra is canceled, construction of chariots will now happen in the coming years, those historic woods of chariots have golden memories, utmost wishes, and desires for god grace.

World environment day


The existence of human beings from the soil dissolves in the soil, the life of human beings hanging around the air and water is a gift and grace of nature. Even though people are being compared on the basis of clothes, money, earnings, or relationships, the initial presence of human beings is possible only by the grace of nature. Whether in palaces or huts, in the United States or in Antarctica, the breath we breathe, the soil we tread, and the water sources that irrigate us and the pieces of the sky above our heads are the same. Let's talk a little about the environment today, as today is World Environment Day, June 5, let us start the conversation, shall we?

The most valuable things in this world are the ones we don't have to pay for, like water, air, sky, and rain, as I write this line I feel the wonder and read and reread, the most essential things in this life are for free, aren't they? All of this depends on the environment. In the story of old age, we have heard about the clean environment of the old days, the clean flowing river, the quality food, and the crops. With the slow human development, industrialization, and urbanization these things are disappearing, many rivers, streams, lands, creatures, forests are disappearing and are only limited to the anecdotes or texts.

Amidst the noise and squeaky pollution in the dusty and smoky city, we are immersed in an artificial and refined lifestyle, including plastic flowers and vases in a pile of concrete. Today's Environment Day is a warning to all of you. How responsible are we for this environmental protection?

There is one positive aspect of the environment, this year. As COVID19 lockdown commences, the mountains are now visible from far beyond, Nepali mountains are spotted from the far north of India, air and environment of the majority of cities in this globe have improved, the river of Ganga is much cleaner. Lockdown is not a solution, human beings must work and disburse but as the human movement slows, and environment furnishes proving that we humans are the biggest threat to the environment.

Where did the animals and birds go after settling in the green hills and forests? When will we think about the environmental challenges and natural disasters that we will have to face in the future while clearing trees and forests?

Let us all be ready to be close to nature and love nature. It is difficult to build a strong future by wearing a mask in a dirty city. And it is a daydream to stay healthy by drinking unhealthy and dirty water. On June 16, 1972, the United Nations convened the World Environment Conference. The conference gained international solidarity with the need to raise political and social awareness around the world for environmental protection. Accordingly, to institutionalize this day, in the second year of the conference, i.e. 5 June 1973, for the first time in the world, World Environment Day has been adopted as an international day and observation commenced.

Nepal is also celebrating World Environment Day with various programs. The main thing is to teach the love of nature to future generations. Let's teach the next generation to love the environment and nature. Teach us to love trees, not wood, plant trees and love water sources. Not just in paper and screens, but in reality, be able to see animals and forests. Let everyone know, including humans and other animals, and their coexistence. Both the farm and the field are important, let's all understand the relationship between life and nature. Happy World Environment Day

Suyog Dhakal