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Depukhu

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Crowd gathers around the deopokhari pond to observe Depukhu.

Depukhu (Nepali: द्यःपुखू), also De pukhu or Dyo pukhu in Newar language, Deopokhari festival in English,[1] and Deopokhari jatra in Nepali,[2] is a festival celebrated in August each year by the Newar community of Khokana in central Nepal.[1] It involves the ritual sacrifice of a virgin she-goat (often a kid) in the Deopokhari pond which is situated in the premises of Rudrayani temple in Khokana,[2][3] in a process described as inhumane and barbaric[1] by animal rights activists. Once taken as a matter of cultural pride, international outcry and criticism has led the locals to attempt to reform the festival in recent years.

Background and introduction

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The tradition of the festival is believed to have begun around the 12th century.[2][4] According to folklore, as the number of deaths by slipping and falling into the pond rose, the belief that an angry supernatural being inhabited the pond began to take hold.[2] Consequently, the festival begun with sacrifices of a virgin she-goat once a year to the demon[5] or angry god[2] that resides in the pond, so that people using the pond are spared for the rest of the year.[2] The festival is celebrated annually the day after Gaijatra, which is mid-August, by the Newar community in and around the ancient village of Khokana in Lalitpur District.[6]

Goat sacrifice ritual

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Young men compete for the possession of the carcass of the goat that was sacrificed by drowning in the pond.

While a huge crowd gathers around the pond and on rooftops to watch the ritual,[3][7] a young man jumps into the pond with a live young female goat on his shoulders.[1][6] While he attempts to drown the goat, other young men from various communities in and around Khokana join him.[1][6] They work together to prevent the goat from escaping.[8] While the group tries to drown the goat,[3] the youths also bite her with their teeth, and attempt to rip her apart with their bare hands.[1][9] The goat is reported to struggle for as long as forty minutes before she dies. Once the goat is dead, a competition ensues for the possession of the carcass.[3] Youths from different communities struggle to win it for their community,[6][7] which earns them the privilege of leading the religious procession that follows.[4] The struggle and tug-of-war for the possession of the carcass is reported to last as long as 90 minutes.[2] The youths that win lead a procession out of the pond, concluding the ritual sacrifice.

Controversy

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In recent years, animal rights activists have opposed the festival for causing unnecessary suffering to an innocent animal, calling it barbaric and inhumane.[1][3][6] The organising committee has repeatedly appealed not to bring the festival into controversy as it is a very old tradition and a part of the local community's cultural heritage.[3][6] Some in the community have advocated continuing the festival in its traditional form, terming it "Khokana's pride"[2] while others have advocated change arguing that the festival had tarnished Khokana's reputation at the world stage.[2]

Attempted reforms

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Some years before 2013, an attempt was reportedly made to replace goat sacrifice with a symbolic sacrifice of a pumpkin brought from Rudrayani temple, but it had minimal impact as the tradition continued unchanged.[2]

Setopati reported that, in 2017, the sacrifice ritual was different from years before. While the kid was still drowned by a group of youths, there was no additional violence done upon her before or after her death.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Shrestha, Hemanta (1 September 2015). "Depukhu Jatra: People hurl a live goat into pond and rip it apart (photo feature)". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lamichhane, Upendra (24 August 2013). "कुमारी पाठी डुबाएर मारियो (साथमा फोटो फिचर)" [Virgin kid goat was killed by drowning (with photo feature)]. Nagarik News (in Nepali). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "A jatra where lambs are ripped off to death". República. Photos and videos by Prabin Koirala. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ a b Biswas, Shreya (21 April 2016). "Shaktimaan wasn't alone: Here's how countless animals suffer at the hands of humans". India Today. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. ^ Shrestha, Niranjan (16 August 2011). "Pictures of the day: 16 August 2011". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 November 2019 – via Associated Press.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Koirala, Prabin (9 August 2017). "पोखरीमा बाख्रा डुबाएर लुछाचुँडी गर्ने खोकनाको जात्रा (भिडियो)" [Khokana's festival where a goat is drowned in a pond and fought over (video)]. Nagarik News (in Nepali). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b Chitrakar, Navesh (23 August 2013). "Throwing goats". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  8. ^ Koirala, Prabin (21 August 2016). "पोखरीमा पाठी डुबाएर लुछाचुँडी गर्ने जात्रा (भिडियो/फोटो)" [Festival where a female kid goat is drowned in a pond and fought over (video/photo)]. Nagarik News (in Nepali). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b Regmi, Anish (9 August 2017). "खोकना जात्रामा यसपालि भयो परिवर्तन" [There was a change in Khokana festival this year]. Setopati (in Nepali). Retrieved 5 November 2019.