KATHMANDU, July 5 : For devout Hindus Rato Machhendranath Jatra concluded on June 22 after they were shown the Bhoto, the bejeweled vest of Lord Machhindranath, on the last day of the chariot procession.

But for the priests of Rato Machhendranath temple, the month-long chariot procession formally concluded only on Saturday after solemnizing a closed-door special fire ritual at Batuk Bhairab temple in Lagankhel, which ended with freeing a pair of sparrows in the sky and another pair of fish in a nearby Saptapatal pond. 

While the fire ritual was underway, Panna Kaji Shakya, one of the four priests of the temple, was anxious about the idea of leaving a pair of fish in the ancient pond. 

The birds and fish are left in the sky and the pond in order to inform Indra, the god of rain, and Karkat Raja, the god of Patal lok or the lowest realm in Hindu mythology, that the chariot procession was duly observed. 

The Saptapatal pond in Lagankhel faces extinction due to human encroachment and government neglect.

“The pond has shrunk due to encroachment by a community school and there is hardly enough water there for several years now. As part of the ritual, we are supposed to leave a pair of fish in this particular pond. How long can we continue like this?” laments Shakya. 

“We, the Newari people, have been known for our diverse culture and customs. Majority of our cultural practices have relation with traditional source of water, especially ponds, in one or the other way. But with the extinction of the ponds due to human encroachment and apathy on the part of the government for its conservation, our cultural heritages have been endangered. We are losing our identity,” he adds. 

Namuna Machhindra Boarding School (NMBS) now occupies around 13 out of 15 ropanis of the pond land. Though the school was established in 1965, it constructed its buildings, encroaching upon the pond in 2003.

“Saptapatal pond, which is believed to be 1,500 years old, has been encroached by the school. And unfortunately, the government has approved of this by duly registering the land in the name of the school,” complained Purna Sthapit, President of Historical Saptapatal Pond Renovation Consumer´s Committee (HSPRCC). 

In the remaining two ropanis of land, too, the locals dump garbage of Lagankhel, and the passers-by use it urinate. 

And when the Machhindranath Jatra arrives, the locals hastily dig a hole in the plot and fill it up with water so that the ritual of leaving the fish in the pond could be observed. 

“Though we know the fish will die shortly, we have been giving continuity to our tradition in such a manner. We do not want our tradition to perish as it is an integral part of our culture and identity,” said Sthapit. 

He, however, admits that it´s hard to preserve the tradition when the very pond on which the ritual depends is on the verge of extinction.

“That´s why we decided to take the initiative to restore the pond into its original shape,” said he, explaining the reason behind the inception of HSPRCC a decade ago. 

HSPRCC´s initiative is not limited to this pond alone.

Restoring the ponds and other traditional sources of water in the area such as wells and water spouts means reviving the dying culture, Sthapit explains. Restoration of Saptapatal pond is crucial in this regard as it is one of the major ponds in Lalitpur, which helps recharge groundwater of the locality. 

“Due to the construction of the school buildings, the pond dried up and with this, all the traditional water spouts and wells in Lagankhel area have also been dying. The traditional water sources are examples of our water civilization. By reviving the pond, we want to conserve our civilization,” he added. 

It may be noted that the locals of Lalitpur had filed a case at the Supreme Court in 2003 against the encroachment of Saptalok pond by the public school, and the apex court had ordered immediate halt to the encroachment and restoration of the pond. 

However, the verdict was not upheld. 

Now they have filed another writ at the court to repeal the land ownership certificate issued to the school a year ago. However, the court is yet to give its verdict. 

Meanwhile, the school management says the government should relocate the school if it really wants to protect the pond.