Yomari Punhi - an Important Festival of Newar Culture - Celebrated at Nepalese Temple in Portland, America

Newah Community in Portland, USA Loves Its Yomaris

Rabin Man Shakya

(Making Yomari together) 

Portland, Dec 23 (Nepal Oregon News): Yomari Punhi, one of the popular festivals of the Newah people of Nepal was celebrated this year with a lot of enthusiasm on Dec 22, 2018. Punhi means full moon day in Nepal Bhasa, the language of the Newah people of Nepal, and Yomari is a steamed dumpling which is made from rice flour with Chaku (a kind of sweet and solid molasses) and crushed sesame seeds.

Yomari Punhi is a post-harvest festival which falls on Thinla Thwo Punhi and which is the shortest day in Nepal. Newah farmers by this time have already filled their Bhakaris with paddy. This festival is celebrated with the wish and hope for better life and prosperity.

On the day of Yomari Punhi, programs of traditional masked dance are organized at the villages of Harisiddhi and Thecho at the southern part of the Kathmandu valley.

Yomari is also a symbol of Pancha Tatwo which consists of fire, aqua, air, sky and land. Rice flour represents land, molasses is taken as fire, water as aqua, empty space in yomari as sky and sesame seeds represent air.

(How is Yomari making going on?)

Today, unlike 20 years ago, celebration of Yomari Punhi is not just confined to Nepal, it is celebrated by the Newah people across the world. Yomari Punhi was celebrated by the Newah people living in Oregon, USA at the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara, Portland on Saturday with much fanfare and huge enthusiasm.

About 50 Nepalese and Americans from Oregon took part in a Yomari Punhi program at the Mahavihara. Among them are Prajwal Vajracharya of the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara, Daya Shakya, vice president of World Newah Organization, Bharat Banskota, president of Nepali Association of Oregon and journalist Dr Rabin Man Shakya of Nepal Oregon News, USA.

The Newah people of Oregon were seen sitting in a big circle inside the temple of the Mahavihara to make the traditional Yomari dumplings.

(Volunteers lending a helping hand.)

Sitting cross-legged in a circle, participants started making Yomaris to keep the guests moving throughout the evening. 

The Yomari Dayekegu program was participated by Guruju Prajwal Vajracharya and Maa Padma Laxmi Karanjit. Likewise, Pramod Karanjit, Dina Shakya, Bharat Banskota, Sharmista Amatya, Kabindra Amatya, Kusumabati Bajracharya, Anjali Vajracharya, Uppa Shakya, Suva Shakya, Pawan Pradhan, Naveena Shakya, Bijaya Maharjan,  Kabitanjali Amatya and Palistha Shakya were among the volunteers making the Yomaris. Also volunteering for Yomari Dayekegu were Kuon Hunt, Dale Hunt and Karen Pradhan.

For the Americans guests, the Yomari snacks were a welcome taste allowing them a chance to try a traditional Newah food which offer greater health benefits too. The program was followed by a potluck dinner.

(Yomaris are very yummy!)

 I remember back in 1970s our family in Kathmandu used to prepare the regular Yomaris and also Yomaris in the forms of deities, gods and goddesses like Kumar, Ganesh, Laxmi and Kuber to offer them to Goddess Annapurna. I remember during my childhood days, we as kids used to go to our neighborhoods in Kathmandu to ask for Yomari on this day and used to chant the traditional rhyme:

Tya Chhin Tya
BakachhinnTya
Lata Pata Kulechan
Juchhin Tya Yomari Chwamu
Uki Dune Haku
Byusa Maku 
Mabyusa Phaku
Byumha Lyase
Mabyumha Buri Kuti

Newahs of Portland also sang the same rhyme at the program. Similarly, on the occasion, Mahayana Sutra Mahima gatha was recited by Guruju Prajwal Vajracharya, Daya Shakya, Pradeep Bajracharya, Rabin Man Shakya and Pramod Karanjit.

(Guruju Prajwal Vajracharya, Pradeep Bajracharya,  Rabin Man Shakya and Pramod Karanjit reciting Mahayan Sutra Mahima.)

Newah heritage is full of myths, legends and folklores. And according to one of the mythologies related to Yomari Punhi, the emergence and origin of the Yomari Punhi celebration kicked off from Panchal Nagar which is Panauti today. The myth goes on to say that a married couple in Panchal Nagar had an unexpected and unprecedented paddy yield and that they made a new kind of bread that was made of the rice flour and was shared with the fellow village folks who really appreciated and loved it and hence the name Yomari (favorite bread).

According to the same folklore, the farmer couple presented Yomari to God of Wealth - Kuber - who was walking incognito. The God of Wealth rewarded the farmer couple with the riches.

There are many traditions and activities associated with Portland's Nritya Mandala Mahavihara but it is always looking for new ways to expand and explore those activities.

(Maa Padma Laxmi Karanjit giving away Yomaris to the guests.)



(Nepal Oregon News writer Rabin Man Shakya is one of the few Newah journalists in America)

Nritya Mandala Mahavihara Moves to Centerstage in Nepalese Community in Oregon, USA

Dr Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, Dec 21 (Nepal Oregon News): The Nritya Mandala Mahavihara - which is the only Nepalese  Buddhist temple in the USA so far - has  moved to centerstage in Nepalese community in Oregon by observing the age-old festivals of the Kathmandu valley and keeping alive the traditions and culture of the people of Nepal.

Promoting, preserving and protecting traditional and cultural values of Nepal are not an easy work, but Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland is giving it a shot. The establishment of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland in 2009 has paved the way for local Nepalese Portlanders to carry on with lots of ritual and cultural ceremonies like the way it is done in the Kathmandu valley.

Balancing personal works, trips to different countries, Charya dance teaching,  observing Nepalese festivals are not always simple, but Prajwal Vajracharya is focusing on what is important in the long run.

Meanwhile, a Dakila ritual ceremony was held recently at the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland to commemorate the first anniversary of my mother Man Shova Shakya's demise.

Dakila (first anniversary of a person's demise) related rituals like 'Bhawana Puja' and 'Guru Mandala Puja' were performed by Prajwal Guruju. Bhawana Puja consists of offering flowers, sinha, raw rice, water and dhun (Nepali incense stick).The religious ritual during the Dakila tradition involved a number of objects including - Dhun, Dewa, Sukunda, Ita, Goja, Jajanka etc.

The Guruju chanted  gatha for the eternal peace of the deceased and wished for the accommodation in the Sukhavati Bhuvan.Guruju Prajwal Vajracharya on the occasion using Gan (Ritual bell) and Vajra chanted religious rituals praying for Vajrasatwo and Pancha Buddha. He said our universe is made of Panchatatwo: earth, water, fire, air and sky. We also offer praying to Vajra Satwo which provides salvation to humankind, said Prajwal Guruju.

At the end of the Dakila ritual, a Sira Daan in the name of my deceased mother was offered  to Prajwal Guruju. Me and my family express deep gratitude to Prajwal Guruju for finding time for the Dakila rituals despite his busy schedule.

Well, the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara has made celebrating the Newah festivals and observing the Newah style ceremonies centerpiece of its activities.

In fact, many Nepalese living in Portland know Prajwal for his commitment and dedication to enhance Nepalese arts, culture and traditions in Oregon.

(Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in America)

Amritananda Mahasthavir and Nepal-Soviet Relations

By Dr Rabin Man Shakya
Former General Secretary, Nepal-Russia Cultural Association

Ven. Amritananda Mahasthavir 

The diplomatic relations between Nepal and Russia (the former Soviet Union) was established on July 20, 1956 AD. The relations between Nepal and the Soviet Union at that time were not just confined to economic, technical, trade, literary and cultural aspects but to Buddhism as well.

Long before the diplomatic relations were established, a Russian Oriental scholar Ivan P. Minayev had visited Nepal during the period of Rana regime along with India, Sri Lanka and Burma in 1874-75. Later on, Minayev published articles in Russian journals about Buddhism in Nepal. Actually,  Minayev was the first Russian to visit Nepal.

In fact, there are a number of dignitaries and luminaries who played a very crucial role in strengthening and consolidating bilateral relations between Nepal and Russia on a public level. One of them is venerable Bhante Amritananda Mahasthavir.

Amritananda Bhante was not just a Buddhist monk. He was a widely known Buddhist personality whose activities zeroed in on research, history, culture and literature etc. Venerable Amritananda  Bhante has written and published hundreds of books on history of Buddhism and its different aspects.

Amritananda Bhante is a towering and pioneering personality who had worked very hard to publicize and disseminate the ideas and studies about Buddhism. "Buddhakalin Grantha" is the magnum opus of late Bhante. Actually, he is one of the most erudite  and learned Buddhist monks of Nepal.

The venerable late Bhante was a multi-dimensional personality and a quintessence of knowledge, scholarship and erudition.

 The Venerable Bhante rendered valuable help in bringing out the "Dharmodaya" monthly magazine from Kalimpong, India in 1947. The monthly magazine, which was mouthpiece of the Dharomodaya Sabha, strived to popularize and publicize Theravada Buddhism.

In an article entitled "Theravada Buddhism in Nepal" published in the magazine "Kailash", Ria Kloppenborg says:"The venerable Amritananda returned to Nepal in 1941 from a period of study in the Vajirama in Colombo, under the guidance of Narada Mahathera,  a well-known and active Sinhalese monk.

Kloppenborg further says:"He became involved in the works of the Nepalese Buddhists on several occasions and used his diplomacy and reputation to the advantage of the Theravada cause."

I had the opportunity to greet and be blessed by Amritananda Bhante and Sudarshan Mahasthavir at various programs organized by the then Nepal Soviet Cultural Association at Jamal Tole, Kathmandu. Likewise, I also had an opportunity to be blessed by Lama Bhante Hambo Dorje Gamboyev from Soviet Buryatia when he was in Kathmandu on a friendly visit.

It is to be noted that Buddhism has deep roots in the lives of the people in Buryat, Kalmik and Tuva Autonomous Republics of the Russian Federation and in Russian cities like Irkutsk and Chita. Buddhism is also a key factor in our bilateral relations. Buddhism spread to Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva Autonomous Republics of the Russian Federation through Mongolia and Tibet. And it was luminaries like Arniko, Bhrikuti and others who spread Buddhism in Tibet, according to historical chronicles.

My father late Pushpa Ratna Shakya was also one of the people who contributed in promoting Nepal-Soviet relations in people-to-people level. Actually, my late father was one of the founders of the Nepal-Soviet Cultural Association.

At age 19 in 1975, I became an active member of the then Nepal-Soviet Cultural Association which was then located at Jamal Tole, (opposite of Tri-Chandra College) in Kathmandu. Later on, I had the honour of becoming the general secretary of the Nepal-Russia Cultural Association from 1998 to 2002. Very few people know that late Venerable Sudarshan Mahasthavir was also the president of the Nepal-Soviet Cultural Association and that late Amritananda Mahasthavir was in the former Soviet Union several times on friendly visits.

It may be a coincidence but nearly half of my life was spent in countries like the former Soviet Union and the United States of America. For about a decade, I was in the former Soviet Union for higher studies.

According to the Western propaganda, there was no freedom of religion in the USSR. But Amritananda Bhante said that he saw people in Ulan Ude (capital of Buryat Autonomous Republic under the Russian Federation) carrying  out Buddhist rituals freely. As a matter of fact, Buddhism was the third most prominent religion in the former Soviet Union after Christianity and Islam, it still is in Russia.

Late Amritananda Mahasthavir was invited at the Nepal-Soviet Cultural Association at Jamal Tole, Kathmandu to share his experience about his visits to the Soviet Union.

Addressing the gathering at the conference room of the Nepal-Soviet Cultural Association in 1978, Ven Amritananda Mahasthavir said that the people in Soviet Buryatia and other autonomous republics of the USSR were free to exercise their rights to carry on Buddhist rituals.

Late Amritananda Bhante also expressed  the  view that the Buryati Soviet  Buddhists had a lot better lifestyle conditions than in other countries.

I remember late Amritananda Bhante saying that the Buddhists in Soviet Buryatia had unprecedented respect for the monks, a lot more honour, warm hospitality and kindness prevalent than in our country.

During his interactions at the Nepal-Soviet Cultural Association, I always found Amritananda Bhante to be supportive of friendly relations and mutual cooperation between Nepal and the former Soviet Union.

The Soviet cooperation for expansion of Science Faculty of the Anandkuti Vidyapeeth was also very remarkable. At that time, some sections of the people went on to the extent of wrongly calling the late Bhante "pro-communist".

Meanwhile, late Bhante Amritananda had played a significant role in organizing the Fourth World Buddhist Convention in 1956 in Nepal. The convention was participated by representatives from 37 countries. Before 1951, Nepal was totally an isolated country during the Rana regime. The Fourth World Buddhist Convention also paved the way to further expand Nepal's diplomacy with rest of the world.

Likewise, during the repressive regime of Rana autocracy, the Buddhist monks of Nepal were banished twice. Late Amritananda Bhante also played a proactive role in bringing a Sri Lankan delegation in 1946 headed by Bhante Narad Mahathera who requested the Rana Prime Minister Padma Shumshere JBR to lift the ban on Nepalese Buddhist Bhantes. After that, the Nepalese Buddhist Vichhus were allowed to come back to Nepal.

Finally, in conclusion, there is no doubt that Amritananda Bhante had played a constructive and positive role in enhancing and enriching the Nepal-Soviet Buddhist relations still at the time when our country was the Kingdom of Nepal and Russia was the Soviet Union.


While celebrating the centennial birthday anniversary of the late Bhante, the Nepalese people will always remember his illustrious and trail-blazing works coupled with his indomitable resolve to make Nepal a secular country.

Actually, there is no doubt that Amritananda Mahasthavir was one of the founding pillars for strengthening Nepal's Buddhist relations not only with the former Soviet Union but with other friendly countries like Burma, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Mongolia and so on.