Bhaktapur, August 25
The sale of bamboo used to make Tahasa, a traditional structure carried during the Gai Jatra festival, has begun in Bhaktapur ahead of this year’s celebrations.
Bamboo vendors have started setting up near the Nyatapola Temple area to meet demand from families preparing to observe Gai Jatra. The festival will be celebrated in Bhaktapur on August 29.
Vendors are selling bamboo at around Rs 500 per piece. A completed Tahasa typically costs between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500, depending on the size and quality of bamboo used.
Jayaram Tamang, who brings bamboo from Ashapuri in Suryabinayak Municipality-8, said he has been selling bamboo near Nyatapola Temple every year, beginning about a week before Gai Jatra.
Bamboo sales are allowed only until 10 am, as the municipality does not permit the trade to continue during the day.
A Tahasa is traditionally made using four bamboo poles, each measuring around 15 to 20 feet. A representation of a cow is placed at the top before it is carried through the city during the festival.
Families who have lost a member during the preceding year use Tahasa to take part in Gai Jatra. As hundreds of families observe the tradition, demand for green bamboo rises sharply before the festival.
The tradition of making Tahasa for Gai Jatra has continued in Bhaktapur for generations. Preparations for the festival, including construction and decoration of Tahasa, have intensified across the city’s neighbourhoods as the festival approaches.
Gai Jatra is observed on the first day of the bright fortnight of Bhadra, the day after Janai Purnima. The festival honours and commemorates those who died during the previous year. According to tradition, a cow is believed to help guide the souls of the deceased to the afterlife.
