Bhaktapur: The traditional Yenya Punhi Mye Pwa Khnegu Jatra, a tongue-piercing festival held in Madhyapur Thimi on Ashwin Shukla Purnima, marked a significant milestone by visiting Bhaktapur city for the first time in its history. Participants of the festival paid homage to the deities at the Dattatraya and Nawadurga before embarking on a circumambulation of the city.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the decision to take the festival to Bhaktapur was initiated by the tongue-piercer, Birendrabhakta Gaju Shrestha. Shrestha, a cultural enthusiast from Balkumari, Madhyapur Thimi-4, has been instrumental in preserving this age-old tradition by piercing his tongue as part of the ritual. This year, Shrestha chose to visit Bhaktapur’s Dattatreya and Navadurga temples after performing the piercing, marking a departure from his previous year’s visit to the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
The Thimi festival, unlike the Bode festival which restricts the tongue-piercing to a single participant following a fixed route, allows multiple participants without a predetermined procession path. Shrestha performed the ritual in front of the Digu Bhairav Temple, carrying a large wooden and bamboo oil lamp on his shoulders. The procession followed traditional routes, passing through significant cultural and religious sites such as Thasma Ganesh, Balkumari Shankhadhar Chowk, Barahi, and several others before concluding at Balkumari.
Shrestha initially pierced his tongue in 2017 to rejuvenate the waning festival and has since continued the practice annually in 2022 and 2023. Highlighting the cultural significance of Madhyapur Thimi, he expressed his commitment to preserving and promoting the town’s identity globally. His choice of temples for this year’s visit reflects his personal devotion and dedication to cultural preservation.