The Pilgrimage to Mt. Chayanath in Western Nepal

西ネパールの聖地巡礼

The Pilgrimage to Mt. Chayanath in Western Nepal

Creators Yasuno Hayami

The deities of pilgrimage centres are phisically far afield and difficult to approach but the boons and merits they grant are greater than those of any other deity. Pilgrimages in fact produce multiple merits. According to the Ludku. villagers of Western Nepal, there are two kinds of pilgrimage-one for lay men and the other for prospective dhamis (oracles). The lay man's intentions in going on a pilgrimage are usually to perform the ritual of worshipping the spirits of the deceased (pinda dine), to do penance for committed sins lvrayas citta) and to get a glance of the divine image (darsan garnu). That of prospective dhamis is to be initiated into the role of full dhamis by the touching of the sacred obj ect (chap bido). The destination of a pilgrimage is called tirtha. The term of tirtha literally means 'a ford or crossing place.' At a tirtha the deceased may cross the river Vaitarni which is believed to flow between the earth and the underworld. The living family help the deceased to cross the river successfully through making offerings (pinda dine). The tirtha is also the threshold between the human and divine worlds. Gods can and have descended on the tirtha to which the pilgrims ascend on a painful j ourney to pursue the divinity. The route is usually a steep path which requires austerities. Thus the pilgrimage may be seen as an ascetic action. Chayanath, one of the most renowned tirthas in the Karnali basin of Western Nepal, is the destination of such austere pilgrims. The pilgrimage to Chayanath is held once a year during the full moon of July-August. lt takes place on the top of a mountain 4,750 meters high in Barakaran, Mugu District. There is no permanent temple on the mountain and the statue of a Chayanath deity, which is usually kept in the Chaina village near Gum, is carried up in the palanquin by the Chaina villagers.

[ISSN]1342-7148