The Bhadrakali Chariot

The Second Chariot

Bhairava does not travel alone. Bhadrakali — the fierce goddess paired with him in Bhaktapur's ritual order — is drawn in a second chariot, lower and lighter than his but built to the same principles of lashed timber and solid wheels. It has its own pulling crews, its own attendant priests, and its own schedule, and it is a mistake to read it as an accessory to the main chariot. In the logic of the festival the two are a pair, and much of the programme is arranged around where and when they meet.

Meeting and Parting

The choreography of the two chariots across the festival's days — where they stand together, where they are drawn apart, which reaches a given point first — is followed closely by people who have watched it all their lives, and departures from the expected pattern are discussed afterwards. The pairing is the reason the festival reads as more than a contest of strength: underneath the tug-of-war is a story about a god and a goddess moving through a city together.

The Goddess in the Origin Story

Bhadrakali also appears in the legend Bhaktapur tells about the festival's beginning. In that story it is the goddess, taking the form of an old woman, who warns the suitor what will happen on his wedding night and tells him to stay awake with his sword drawn — which is how the serpents are killed and the city released from the deaths that had followed every marriage. Her chariot in the procession is therefore not only the consort's vehicle but the vehicle of the figure whose intervention the festival is held to commemorate.

Note on the Name

Several shrines across the Kathmandu Valley are dedicated to Bhadrakali, and they are distinct sites with their own festivals and histories. The Bhadrakali of Bisket Jatra is Bhaktapur's own.