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Kathmandu Monday February 05, 2001 Magh 23, 2057.
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‘We can live anywhere but
can’t forget our culture’
By Razen Manandhar
KATHMANDU, Feb 4 - One hundred and five boys
from Shakya and Bajracharya families, belonging to Mahayana sect of Buddhism, Itumbahal
were given a ritual "monkhood" today, after a 14 years interval.
On the courtyard of the fifth-century
monastery of Bhashkar Dev Sanskarit Keshchandra Krit Paravarta Mahavihar, under the
teutelage of the Buddhist priests, hundreds of parents attired in traditional dress held
their sons while the boys’ maternal uncles tonsure them and their paternal aunts
collecting the hair as a part of the ritual.
After every 12 years, male children up to 14
years old are brought to the monastery for induction to monkhood, called Prabajyabhishek,
at least for four consecutive days, reminding the children of their glorious past that
they belong to the family in which Lord Buddha was born.
"But this year, we were delayed by two
years because we did not have the total number of priests, or Thapajus, who should direct
this event," said Pragya Ratna Shakya, 40, the co-organiser of this ceremony.
He said that the tradition of Prabajyabhishek
is as old as Buddhism itself. When Lord Buddha taught people the importance of being a
monk and all followed him, leaving nobody to continue the family linage. "So, later
it was changed into a four-day ceremony," he added.
No matter where one resides today, if he
belongs to Itumbahal tradition, he ought to join this ceremony for "spiritual
purification" of their male children. This time, Shakyas from Nepalgunj, Sindhuli,
Biratnagar, Birgunj and Hetauda have come to participate in the event.
Seventy-four years old Dan Kaji Shakya of
Jhongajhuli Ward-1, Sindhuli is here after many decades to have his grandson made monk. He
said, "We can live anywhere but we just can’t forget our culture. We believe
that a boy can’t live a decent life till he goes through the most important social
duty as a Buddhist male."
For him everything in the event is the same,
except the money. When his son’s Prabajyabhishek was performed he paid Rs 35 only and
now for his grandson, he has to pay Rs 1200.
Traditionally, it is the chief priest’s
duty to grant monkhood to all the children of the locality and also to offer the relatives
a sound dinner too. But now, as the guthi property all but gone, and the population
growing, the system has gradually begun to change.
Earlier, the candidates "applied" to
participate in the ceremony, at the chief priest with bettlenuts on Thursdays and the
organizers offered a small snacks party to the approved candidates on Fridays. A special
dhuswaa puja was held yesterday to ready for today’s ceremony. For four days, the
children have to live a very strict and disciplined life as a monk.
The organisers said that after today’s
ritual, the new monks would go door to door seeking alms, at least to seven houses
everyday and finally on the last day, they would go to Swayambhunath Stupa to revert back
to normal life, the organisers said.
Rajendra Shakya, one among the organisers
group, said that the whole event is organised traditionally by two groups — Chhasanga
and Basanga. There are eleven Thapajus, the chief priests to conduct different religious
activities, including that of Pravajyavishek.
"The priests used to be very wealthy with
over 500 ropanis of land, which was more than enough to conduct such religious and social
activities but with time, the land too has disappeared," he said.
Itumbahal is known as one among the three most
ancient and beautiful Mahayana Buddhist monasteries in Kathmandu. The legends have it,
when the Muslim emperor Samasuddin Iliyas attacked the valley and demolished all the
religious shrines, he left this shrine intact because of its matchless beauty.
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