Buddha Jaya(n)ti and a Note on "Buddhist" Festivals in Bhaktapur

In previous chapters we discussed the relations between the Hindu and Buddhist aspects of the Newar society and religion of Bhaktapur. For some purposes, as we emphasized, they can be considered separate components, while for others they blend or overlap. The case is similar with festivals. There are some that can be said to be Hindu, some Buddhist,^[30] some (the great majority) common to both, although in the latter case the interpretations may vary. These differentiations are, in any detail, beyond the scope of this study. There are a few festivals in Bhaktapur that are mostly of concern to the city's "Buddhists" (as we have defined them in chap. 5). In other festivals the same festival image will be defined differently by Buddhists and Hindus so that the jatra is relevant to both groups. An example is the predominantly Buddhist festival centering on images of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, which are identified by Hindus as the Five Pandava Brothers (see section on Gunhi Punhi, below).

This day, Buddha Jaya(n)ti, takes place on the full-moon day of Bachalathwa, the same day as the Candesvari^[*] Jatra. It commemorates

the day that the historic Buddha was born, received enlightenment, and died—all having occurred on the same day of the year. An image of the Buddha is carried around the city's main festival route. While high-status Hindus say that this jatra has no significance for them, other Bhaktapur Hindus may view the jatra , make small offerings to the deity, and receive prasada .^[31] This is typical of all such "Buddhist" festivals in Bhaktapur.