THE ANCIENT BAHALS OF PHARPING, NEPAL

[The technical renovation of the Buddhist monasteries is to render the imminent resurrection of Buddhism.  The preservation of these Buddhist monasteries is the preservation of the Buddha-Dharma for sure.  To achieve full success on this logical aim, inland and foreign devotees along with the Government of Nepal are highly obliged to afford the feasible financial aid.  We must realize that the re-erection of the defunct monasteries is the subsequent gain of a new monastic life-style.  Thus first of all the original locations of the concerned monasteries must be detected well.  Should we not be able to comply with the situation, new plots of lands must then be sought where new monasteries ought to be built in the name of old monasteries so concerned.  It is the duty of the state to protect the Buddha statues and shrines wherever found with keen urgency.  It would but be heavily sinful to shun them all.] 

By Amrit Ratna Tuladhar

Gigantic Guru Rinpoche near Pharping, Nepal. A Flicker photo  By Philip S >>

Very obviously, King Jay Sthiti Malla had always been a bitter foe to the Buddhist society of Nepal.  He was the one to propound the social policy like “FOUR CASTES & THIRTY-SIX SUB-CASTES” which lies in the Hindu fold alone ignoring the ritual fact that Nepal also belongs to the Buddhists and other non-Hindus as well.  Take a famous pilgrimage chapter like Furping (NB > the western writers write 'Pharping'. - The Blogger) located in the south-west corner of the Great Valley.  Till his period of arrogant reign, 14 holy Bahals did exist.  They virtually include: a) Bhim Bahal, b) Digu Bahal, c) Bokha Bahal, d) Gwol Bahal, e) Takhachhen Bahal, f) Ha Bahal, g) Nand Bahal, h) Iku Bahal, i) Kuti Bahal, j) Kwa Bahal, k) Ta Bahal, l) Kha Bahal, m) Mim Bahal and n) Basi Bahal.  Thus the majority of the citizens belonged to the Buddhist faith.  

After the total number of Buddhist monks were expelled from Furping by King Jay Sthiti Malla, many religious residents were deliberately put under compulsion to get converted and became orthodox Hindus with utter reluctance.  Nevertheless they accepted the High Priest called BAJRACHARYA to follow the purification tradition at a time of the demise of a certain member in the family took place.  The other remaining formalities were in event conducted by the Brahmin called RAJOPADHYAYA the sheer system of which can still be traced, being carried on today.

According to the Vanshabali, during the reign of King Shiva Dev the First of the Lichhavi Dynasty, a colossal number of monks practiced authentic Buddhism in the 14 mentioned Bahals.  Besides the relevant propagation of the sublime teachings of the Buddha-Dharma, they provided clean drinking water, managed the gravity water flow spouts and taught the lay-disciples to stay sanitation conscious.  In accordance with this, a common tap with immense force was also managed for any local facility out of the main source of water that stood available below Shikhar Lokeswor Mahavihar (at present the quadrangle of Shesh Narayan).  The government had also granted the required financial aid to meet the mandatory needs of the monasteries scattered around.

At a time when the development of Buddha-Dharma was in full swing, the drinking water authority had laid big pipelines at the main source of water to render any supply for the consumers of Patan.  The location which had previously been inhabited by the monks are now being occupied by devotees professing Hinduism rather.  Simultaneously, they have caused the superb legacy of Buddhist monasteries to vanish in an unreasonable manner the consequence of which we have never been able to identify the precise spots of the monasteries and have also lagged behind much in being able to learn where the invaluable archaeological remains are.

During the reign of King Shiva Dev, the monks of Furping had imposed top conservation over the stone spouts around the city.  However the gravity flow water system completely failed after the Drinking Water Corporation began installing modern tap-stands at the principal source of water.  The water stopped flowing at different regions bringing any drought only which led the innocent people to come fetch water at the main source.  It is generally heard that besides neglecting the extension of any sincere cooperation to the popular monasteries, King Jay Sthiti Malla drove out all the sober monks from the city for no reason by which the number of monastic institutes got drastically diminished one after another.  It is just the jealousy, vanity and pride of the cruel monarch.  What right has he to envy the Buddhist philosophy and ruin the prevailing monkhood of "Nepal Mandal" at all ?  To revive the old lost monasteries and bring them back to proper function as re-establishments with normalcy in the concerned plots of lands has fallen to be our ardent responsibility indeed so as to truly maintain the ancient atmosphere of Furping ever after.

The technical renovation of the Buddhist monasteries is to render the imminent resurrection of Buddhism.  The preservation of these Buddhist monasteries is the preservation of the Buddha-Dharma for sure.  To achieve full success on this logical aim, inland and foreign devotees along with the Government of Nepal are highly obliged to afford the feasible financial aid.  We must realize that the re-erection of the defunct monasteries is the subsequent gain of a new monastic life-style.  Thus first of all the original locations of the concerned monasteries must be detected well.  Should we not be able to comply with the situation, new plots of lands must then be sought where new monasteries ought to be built in the name of old monasteries so concerned.  It is the duty of the state to protect the Buddha statues and shrines wherever found with keen urgency.  It would but be heavily sinful to shun them all.

* The author is a Tourism Entrepreneur in Kathmandu. He may be reached at <losthorizon@mail.com.np>