Preliminaries

The events of the fourth day fall into three events or clusters of events, which occur sequentially. The first is the raising of the secondary yasi(n) . The second is the raising of the primary yasi(n) , one of the pivotal events of the Biska: sequence. The third is the "taking out" of certain god images, in preparation for the local areal jatras that will follow on succeeding days.

During the morning of the fourth day a yasi(n) , the shorter of the two tree trunks that had previously been dragged to Bhaktapur by the Sa:mi, is erected in the Talakwa area of the Bolache(n) twa: . Talakwa is the larger of the city's two potters' quarters. This yasi(n) is popularly known as the "Yasi(n) God without arms," in contrast to the main yasi(n) , which has a transverse crossbar toward its top representing, among other things, arms. The armless Yasi(n) God will remain standing until the final ninth day of the sequence. After the Armless Yasi(n) God is pulled into upright position by means of ropes and pushing, a local man acting as a priest quickly leads the god through the dasakarma , the ten basic samskaras or rites of passage, to bring it to its "mature" form.^[25]

Meanwhile the Bhairava chariot has been moved into the proper position for Bhairava's next journey. It is arranged with its front end facing south toward the Yasi(n) Khya, the field where the main Yasi(n) is to be erected. Once again with the same processions and ceremonies as on the first day the king, his Guru-Purohit, and the rest of the chariot crew assemble and wait by the Bhairava chariot. Bhairava is brought from his jatra god-house to the chariot and placed in it and is followed into it by all the riders who take their positions as on the first day. The Bhadrakali^[*] image is then brought from the special jatra Bhadrakali^[*] god-house and placed in her chariot, which is also facing toward the Yasi(n) Khya. Now the Bhairava chariot, with the Bhadrakali^[*] chariot following it, is pulled down the road to the upper end of the Yasi(n) Khya (map 5), "so that the two deities can watch the erection of the main Yasi(n)

God." This brings together the Bhairava/Bhadrakali pair and the Yasi(n) God, the deities around whom most of the stories, ideas and action of the festival are gathered.