Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
I. Introduction
The ancient Nepalese city of Patan is also called Lalitpur, the city of Fine Arts.
Its inhabitants are mainly Newars, who live in clusters around Buddhist
Viharas which jostle with numerous Hindu temples. Buddhist sites are
predominant in the City. Patan is also famous for its temple architecture,
monuments and its magnificent representations of various deities. Most of
the statues engraved in stone, wood and bronzes are created by unnamed
Newar artists during the Lichhavi (c. 400-880 AD) and Malla (c. 1400-1825
AD) periods. Almost all those who have written on Newar Society found it
difficult to differentiate between Buddhists and Hindus among the Newar
population. The Newar people are fond of observing various Hindu and
Buddhist festivals together. In the observance of these festivals, their
spiritual motivation is distinctly visible. A blending of Hindu and Buddhist
features is apparent in their scenarios. We can cite examples such as
Avalokiteshvara/Matsyendranath, Manjushree/Saraswati, and many others
which throw light on the Hindu-Buddhist syncretic or integrative behavior
among the Newar population. The cultural harmony created through
syncretism is the lifeblood and cultural identity of Nepal, and a matter of
national pride. Unlike the Rama Janma Bhumi and Baba Mosque
controversies in India, in Nepal the two main religious groups never came
into conflict. Although most of the rulers in the Malla period were Hindus,
they never remained indifferent to the upliftment of Buddhists.
It must be noted that what the Newar people profess here is the Buddhism of
the Vajrayana, which is the path of skillful Means and Wisdom. The use of
mantras, sadhanas, yogas and various disciplines have parallels in Hindu
Tantric methods, yet, although being apparently similar to Buddhism, in
1 | Page
terms of their basis, path and result, they are dissimilar in nature. Apart from
Deity Yoga, there are innumerable skillful means in Vajrayana Buddhism
which are practices or used for the attainment of perfect enlightenment or
Buddhahood. The incorporation of Hindu deities in Buddhist pantheons is
said to be one of the foremost skill-in-means of Buddhism. In Vajrayana
Buddhism one aims to attain perfect enlightenment for the benefit of all
sentient beings, and as a result of that motivation, for the practitioner to
exclude any sentient being from one's domain of meditation is absurd. A
Buddhist practitioner utilizes these Astamatrika deities in meditation for the
purpose of averting obstacles and for the attainment of eight kinds of
mundane Siddhis or perfections. In Buddhist texts like the Abhidhanottara
Tantra, Kalachakra Tantra, methods of worship, meditation and practice are
set out at length.
The musical instruments used for the dance are called Ponga and Pancabaja
(fivefold instruments). According to Kulapada, these instruments were used
by divine Kinnaras and Gandharvas in the heaven of Indra. These were
perceived by Lord Manjudeva, an emanation of Bodhisattva Manjushree. He
then narrated these events to his famous disciple Santikar Acharya who
founded the Stupa of Swayambhu. Later Santikar Acharya instructed his
disciple Bandhudatta Acharya who brought Lord Karunamaya
Avalokiteshvara from Kamarupa (Assam) to Kathmandu during the reign of
the King Narendradeva. As Kulapada Acharya was in the lineage of
Bandhudatta Acharya, he had heard all about them.
b. Mask Creation
The Astamatrika dance is also a ceremony that is ritually marked by a set of
masks, which on this occasion are worn and danced with. These masks have
a continual life-force or energy. They are focal points of the Astamatrika
dance ceremonies performed during the Dashain festival.
The 13 deities represented during these Astamatrika dances are as follows:
1. Simhini - White
2. Bhairava - Blue
3. Ganesh - White
4. Kumara - Red
5. Brahmayani - Yellow
6. Rudrayani - White
7. Kaumari - Red
3 | Page
8. Vaishanavi - Green
9. Varahi - Red
10. Indrayani - Orange
11. Mahakali/Chamunda - Red
12.Mahalaxmi - Red +Yellow
13. Vyaghrini - Yellow
4 | Page
existing guthis or lands it would be a great source for the sustenance of
Astamatrika dance financially.
For the preservation of these traditions, three suggestions are put forward
here:
i) One should explore the essential features of Newar cultural heritage in a
historical perspective, and conduct thorough research which should be
presented to the public to create awareness.
ii) One should analyze the basic conditions of the present structure of these
vanishing cultural heritages.
iii) Concrete steps to preserve these traditions are absolutely vital. The inter-
religious harmony manifest in these traditions shows that they have
global as well as local significance.
Conclusion:
The purpose of this paper is to present a specific example of the religious
integration found in Newar society. The Astamatrika dance also has special
properties that distinguish it from other dances. Nowadays, in our changing
modern society, people are losing faith in these Astamatrika deities and even
in the practice of their religion. The general loss of interest in the study and
practice of religion is one of the major obstacles to its survival. There also
seems to be no authority who will take serious interest in preserving our
heritage, irrespective of whether it is Hindu or Buddhist.
5 | Page