Manandhar Caste and Barahi Temple

Barahi Temple, Bhaktapur
photo: razendra

When I was a kid, around 12 or 13, my English teacher suddenly asked me if I know that we Manandhars are forbidden in our city's greatest temple Barahi. I was like shocked. I said,  "I don't know, I'd just been there that morning". A friend next to me said she knew about the fact that the Manandhars are forbidden. I was so confused.

Few years ago, my aunt died because of old age, while on her funeral, my older brother told a story. As I like the story very much I listened to it quite attentively, as I always do. The story goes like this.

Not very long long time ago, Nepal was not unified. Bhaktapur was an independent kingdom, the smallest of all. Malla Kings rule over Bhaktapur. The funeral system then was a-bit different from what it is today. There used to be a man appointed to do the burning of the dead body, now-a-days the family themselves burn the dead. Then, the family do the rituals and leave the body to this man (I think we can call him the undertaker) to burn the dead body, and so the man does. The family pays the undertaker by giving him the leftovers from the funeral ceremony. One day as this man, undertaker, was burning the body, the brain of the dead blasted and a small piece of it landed on that undertaker's mouth. The burned piece of brain tastes good to the undertaker, as he never get chance to eat good food, because his was lower Caste man and too poor to afford some good food. As he was alone there, he tries some more of the roasted brain of the dead and he liked it more. The series continues and he started eating not only the brain, now the flesh too. It was not too long for other people to know the truth, and the King declared the undertaker as a monster, in modern time we would call him a Cannibal or may be a Zombie. The King also announced that anyone who killed that monster would be rewarded. Nobody dared for the challenge because of many rumors about the undertaker, that the monster is very huge with horns and teeth like animal and so. But, a brave man (name unknown, lets call him Bhim, the name represents the bravery) dared to do the job and prepared a feast for the monster. He prepared different items of food and good wine. He poisoned the food to kill the monster. He went to the monster and said, "Hey friend! Don't be afraid, I'm here for friendship. I know everyone abandoned you, but I am here for friendship. I've brought foods to start our friendship. C'mon lets eat". The so-called monster came, eat and died.

The so-called brave Bhim then went to the King for his reward. The King was very pleased by his bravery and rewarded him with gold, and asked him how did he killed that monster. The man proudly says what he did that he called him for friendship, feed him food that was poisoned and the monster died eating poisoned food. The King became angry suddenly, He said Bhim had done a great wrong deed, he killed a man in the name of friendship which is not to be forgiven. He said the Caste of Bhim will be now lowered, and they will be forbidden from the Barahi Temple.

It was the King's word that is the law then. Our character, Bhim, was a Manandhar boy, hence all the Manandhars were forbidden from the Barahi Temple, and they are lower caste than the Jyapus of Bhaktapur.

The time has changed, the story became myth. We, Manandhars can enter the temple and worship now, but we are still recognized as the lower caste people. I have no proof to the story above, it is just a story, a myth. I am a Manandhar, there are many Manandhar around the world now, the origin of Manandhar is still a question to be answered. I've written this blog to share the story I've heard, there might be little add-subtract to the story but I've nothing to do with the politics. If someone gets offended, I would like to apologize.