Dipankar Buddhas parade through Bhaktapur celebrating Panchadan, the festival of five summer gifts

Bhaktapur [Nepal], August 21 (ANI): Parading through the narrow alleys and dancing to the beats of traditional musical instruments, Dipankar Buddhas were seen celebrating the Panchadan festival on Wednesday in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Observed annually on Triodashi, two days prior to Kushe Aunsi or Father's Day according to the lunar calendar, the Buddhist festival of Panchadan is marked by the ceremonial tour of Dipankar Buddha around the city.

"On the day of Panchadan, the five Buddhas are toured around the city of Bhaktapur where the devotees make offerings and perform rituals. The Dipankar Tathagat is paraded around the city. Along with him, the Shakyamuni and the Vajracharya are also given alms during the Panchadan, which has remained since long time," Sunil Vajracharya, a devotee, told ANI.

In this Buddhist festival, gifts are made by the laity to the monks. Buddhist antiques are displayed, and gigantic effigies of Dipankar are paraded around the town. Since monastic Buddhism has long been extinct in Nepal, the recipients of the gifts today are the Buddhist priests, the Shakyas, and the Vajracharyas, who go begging alms at the houses of their clients.

However, the main highlight of the festival is the giving away of five elements (wheat grains, rice grains, salt, money, and fruit). Traditional collections of artifacts are displayed in monasteries and households on this occasion. On this day, people donate based on their capacity - rice, money, and other items.

"There is a belief that you will earn a special place, and it is counted as a good deed once you donate or give alms. The volume of donations is dependent on one's capacity," Surya Bahadur Chitrakar, one of the devotees waiting for the Dipankar Buddha to show up at their place, told ANI.

On this day, Buddhist artifacts are displayed in monasteries and households, and giant idols of Dipankara Buddhas are paraded around town. People worship the Dipankara Buddhas and offer Panchadan. According to legend, the Panchadan festival has been celebrated every year since Nepal Sambat 512 (AD 1390).

This ceremony has ancient roots and is said to have originated from traditional practices among Buddhist Bhikshus, or monks, of Kinnaur, Tibet, Lahoul, and Spiti, where they used Cordyceps sinensis as food. With a history that is centuries old, it has continued to develop over time into multiple talents and features, which have culminated over the years. This festival seems to have evolved from that tradition of offering alms, and the continuation of this practice even now possibly projects a strong Buddhist heritage among the Newars.

"Dipankar Tathagat are not the Buddha whom we have been worshipping. They are one of the stages towards the completion of Buddha. It is believed that they took rebirth, and it is a stage towards becoming Buddha. While living the life as Dipankar, they used to collect alms. Wherever they used to live, those areas followed the tradition of giving alms," Vajracharya added.

The five elements given during the Panchadan symbolise the essential elements of life. As per folklore, the grain symbolises or represents food and eating, which are the most important things in life. Salt represents purity and preservation; oil represents health and prosperity; pulse, a symbol of life, represents both fertility and life; and money represents wealth and good fortune for everyone. (ANI)

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