By Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu, Sep 26 (IANS) Nepal braced for disaster after one of its most solemn religious festivals – Indrajatra – faltered and the unprecedented lapses were interpreted as omens of evil.
The 250-year-old festival of rain god Indra, one of the main deities of agricultural Nepal, was off to a faltering start Tuesday with the chariot of Kumari, the virgin goddess, narrowly averting an accident as its wheel came off.
Even after the wheel was put back, delaying the pageant by almost two hours, the chariot swerved and almost fell into a drain.
However, what was regarded as the biggest omen of a momentous change was that for the first time in Nepal’s history, the king was not present to ceremonially gaze at the face of the goddess, give her symbolical gifts and obtain her blessings.
After King Gyanendra took over power with an army-backed bloodless coup in 2005, the royal family’s popularity plummeted. A public uprising the following year forced the king to surrender power and the new government of opposition parties began divesting him of his official functions, powers and privileges.
In a crippling social loss for the monarchy, the prime minister has been given all the official roles of the king, including attending religious festivals.
For the first time in Nepal’s history, King Gyanendra was not invited to the start of the 10-day Indrajatra festival on the grounds of an ancient palace in Kathmandu Tuesday. Instead, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala stepped into his shoes.
The Indrajatra festival sees the Kumari – a young girl worshipped as living goddess – emerging out of her palace and being driven around in her chariot.
The Kumari is regarded as the protective deity of the royal family. An earlier king from a different dynasty, Jayprakash Malla, is believed to have lost his kingdom after he displeased an incarnation of Kumari.
Originally a festival of the Malla dynasty, Indrajatra was however retained by King Gyanendra’s ancestor, Prithvi Narayan Shah, who founded the current dynasty over two centuries ago.
Though the prime minister Tuesday chose to attend the festival that was once the prerogative of the king, his failing health caused him to be whisked away without completing the religious rituals with the Kumari.
Koirala’s arrival at the festival ground was also marked with disharmony as royalists showed him black flags and shouted slogans.
While trying to stop the protesters, security forces prevented a traditional dance troupe from displaying an old dance, regarded as an integral part of the festival, deepening public gloom.
In a snap opinion poll conducted by a TV station, 64 percent of the SMS voters said Koirala’s bid to take the king’s place was an evil omen.
In the past, the chariot procession of another god, Machhindranath, had been disrupted during the royal regime due to curfew. Soon after that, King Gyanendra’s government fell, strengthening the old superstition.
Earlier this year, a stone deity, who is believed to perspire on the eve of mishaps in the royal family, was reportedly seen breaking out into sweat. Subsequently, Crown Prince Paras had a major heart attack.
The fate of both King Gyanendra and Koirala hang in balance as Nepal readies to hold a historic election in November.
The polls, which would write a new constitution for Nepal, would also determine if King Gyanendra should keep his crown or become a commoner in a republic.
Koirala’s fate also hinges on the election. If it is held and Nepal becomes a republic, he could become the first president of Nepal. But if he fails to hold the twice-deferred polls, he will lose international support and his government its legitimacy.
With the Maoists leaving the government this month and announcing they would oppose the election unless the state abolishes monarchy immediately, it could be impossible to conduct free and fair elections.