TRN Online
Bhaktapur, Sept. 9: Bode, the ancient city of Madhyapur Thimi, is known for its famous tongue-piercing festival, but no one knows about another tongue-piercing festival of Digu Tole of Madhyapur Thimi, which is taking place Saturday evening.
The tongue piercing festival of Digu Tole is organised the day after the Indra Jatra.
The tongue piercing of Digu Tole was not performed regularly due to the financial problem. But this year, 35-year-old Birendra Bhakta Shrestha is going to revive the age-old tradition after three years of hiatus.
The festival is expensive as three feasts had to be thrown before and on the festival day.
“I am performing the tongue piercing act for the second time this year on Saturday evening to preserve our dying culture,” he said, adding that he had taken part in tongue piercing in 2017 for the first time.
Shrestha said, “My first-time attempt to pierce the tongue in 2017 itself was held after a gap of 11 years, when no one had been ready to pierce the tongue. Earlier, in 1999, 2003 and 2006 Krishna Nani Shrestha had performed tongue piercing act.”
In 1969, Bikram Bahadur Shrestha had pierced his tongue, now he is 90-year-old, he said.
Elaborating the rituals of tongue piercing, Shrestha said that the person willing to pierce his tongue needs to offer sacrifice puja to Nakarmi on the day of Janai Purmina and request him to make a needle to pierce his tongue.
The needle needs to be kept into pure mustard oil for a month. A special worship is organised a week before of the festival at Balkumari Temple by offering a rooster. On the same evening, beaten rice made in the shape of the Balkumari idol should be brought to the home of the person who is prepared to pierce his tongue and offer puja twice a day – in the morning and evening.
The needle is made in a shape of trident which has three needles and are used to pierce the tongue by their tips.
The tongue piercing fast begins two days before the festival day, and the man, who pierces the tongue, should not even drink water. The fasting needs to be observed by staying away from people and not talking to anybody. Talking to the The Rising Nepal, Shrestha said that it was a team work so everybody needs to co-operate to preserve the dying culture. A 15-member Management Committee has been formed to manage the festival and prepare food and serve the food to the invited guests the day before of festival and festival night on Saturday.
Pradeep Shrestha, local cultural experts of Digu Tole, said that the specialty of tongue piercing festival of Digu Tole is that it can be performed in a group. More than one person can take part in the festival.
A record has been found that 17 people had pierced their tongue in the past. As per the tradition, the needles should be taken to Balkumari Temple after piercing the tongue. Over 340 bunches of needles were found at the temple’s door, pole and other parts. It proved that earlier, group used to take part in the tongue piercing but now that is not in practice, he said.
He further said, “My late grandfather Bhakti Narayan Jaman Shrestha had told us that he had pierced his tongue at the age of seven in a group of five people in 1941/42.”
The festival would be held in a grander manner than Bode’s tongue piercing festival if people of Digu Tole performed the festival in a group as in the past, he added.
After piercing the tongue by one-inch-long and half-inch thick iron needles, he visit different localities of Madhyapur Thimi carrying the half-moon shaped Aakashdeep which is made by 19 sticks of Nigalo (a types of bamboo).
On the tongue perching day, oil-fed lamps are lit in each temple of Madhyapur Thimi. When the man who is to undergo tongue piercing reaches his home, the Nakarmi who pierces the tongue perfoms puja as per the tantric method and offers silver necklace to the man selecting tongue piercer.
After performing worship at the Bhariav Temple, he needs to walk from back to the place where the tongue piercing is to be held.
Babu Kaji Shrestha, 60, will pierce the left side of Shrestha’s tongue with one-inch-long iron needle to give continuity the age-old tradition.
Shrestha will visit different localities of Madhyapur Thimi carrying around 30 to 35 kg half shaped Aakashdeep. He will also reach the Nil Barahi Temple of Bode.
Cultural expert Shrestha said that earlier there was a practice of visiting Changue Nararyan temple and Pashupati Temple after piercing the tongue with Aakashdeep but it is now limited at the Nil Barahi temple of Bode.
After completing the walking part, the iron needle is taken out in front of Balkumari Temple and the hole in the tongue is filled with mud from that temple.
The needle is kept at the temple’s door the day after.
