Bungamati Khokana Village Tour

Khokhana is a traditional Newari village about 8km south of Kathmandu valley. The village has been nominated to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage. People call this village a living museum as it expresses the medieval times showcasing the valley lifestyle during the ancient era. Khokana was the first town in Nepal to be lit with electricity during the reign of Chandra Shamsher Rana. Before the construction of a motorable road through Pharping, people had to walk through Khokana village to visit the Dakshinkali Temple.
The inhabitants of Khokana village are Newars and they mostly engage on farming activities. While touring this village, one can observe the daily activities of the local people. Women are seen outside their houses actively busy on spinning wools or winnowing rice while men are seen to be crushing seeds, weaving hay mats or stitching clothes. The village of Khokana is very well known for its unusual harvesting and production of rich mustard oil. The main attractions of this village are Rudrayani Temple, De Pukhu, Jitapur Mandap, and Sikhli Temple. Besides the De Pukhu, there are several other ponds namely Pala Pukhu, Kutu Pukhu, Ga Pukhu, Kha Pukhu, Samal Pukhu, and Dhokasi Pukhu.

The Macchindranath Temple is known by the name of Bungadeya to the locals. It is also known by the name of “Karunamaya” which means the personification of love and kindness. The Rato Machhindranath has remained the patron god of Patan since the medieval times. The vital ceremonial focus of Bungamati is the temple of Macchindranath. Bungadeya has several significant legendary, historical and modern-day ritual involvements with water. Bungadeya being a primitive rain god was later recognized with the compassionate Aryavalokitesvara. The patron of the valley, Macchindranath and his large shikhara-style temple in the middle of the village square is his home for six months in a year. The remaining six months, he spends in Patan. The process of moving him to and fro between Patan and Bungamati is one of the most noteworthy festivals in Kathmandu. The huge Machhindranath temple where the deity once resided was damaged during the 2015 earthquake. The temple is now being reconstructed from the foundations and the chowk around the temple still remains a favorite place of the people of this Newari town.

De Pukhu is a large water pond located in the Chwe Lachi square. Literally De Pukhu in English means God Pond. The present three-storey Rudrayani temple used to be six floors in ancient times. Due to an earthquake long time back, the temple was destroyed and only three floors remained. The broken parts of the temple fell into the pond, so the pond was called De Pukhu.
During a major festival of Khokana, a young goat is sacrificed in the pond by drowning. After the goat dies, a group of young men fight for the goat. As a cultural coercion, the group winning the goat has to perform a cultural drama during the Shikali jatra, yet another local festival. However, this festival celebrated in Khokana has received widespread condemnations and severe criticism about the way of sacrificing the goat.

Lying halfway between Bungamati and Khokana, Karya Binayak is a small, yet an artistic temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh. Placed in the middle of a forest area, the temple is one of the four Binayakas of the Kathmandu valley. The object of worship in this temple is an elephant-shaped rock followers of Lord Ganesh flock to this temple on Tuesdays in large numbers. Visitors can be seen here on Saturdays for a local feast as well as some devotional music.
Bells can be seen on all facades of the temple and the two metal flags on either sides of the door give it a traditional outlook. The omnipresent vehicle of Lord Ganesha, the rat facing the shrine in the courtyard is noticeable even from a distance.

The Rudrayani temple is an influential three-storey temple located in the Chwe Lachi square in Khokana. Before the devastating earthquake in 1934 BS, it is believed that this temple was 6-storey. The earthquake caused damage to the three floors which fell into a nearby pond thereby being named De Pukhu meaning God pond. Goddess Rudrayani is revered as the incarnation of Goddess Durga and the mother goddess of the town. The temple was built during the reign of Amar Malla with the most characteristic architectural attributes seen in the second floor of the temple. During the month of October, Rudrayani Jatra is performed here.