BHAKTPUR: The traditional Yenya Punhi Mye Pwa Khnegu Jatra, the tongue-piercing festival observed on Sunday evening in Madhyapur Thimi on the occasion of Ashwin Shukla Purnima, made a trip to the Bhaktapur city for the first time in the history of this festival.

The observers of the festival made a circumambulation of the city after paying a homage to the deities in Dattatraya and Nawadurga.

The circumambulation was conducted on the wish of the tongue-piercer Birendrabhakta Gaju Shrestha. As in the previous years, Birendrabhakta Gaju Shrestha, a cultural enthusiast from Balkumari, Madhyapur Thimi-4, pierced his tongue to continue the age-old ritual.

Last year, Shrestha visited the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu after piercing his tongue, while this year, he will visit Bhaktapur’s Dattatreya and Navadurga temples before circumambulating the city.

Unlike the Bode festival, where only one person pierces the tongue following a fixed circumambulation route, the Thimi festival allows more than one participant, and the procession route is not predetermined.

Shrestha pierced his tongue in front of the Digu Bhairav Temple, carried a large wooden and bamboo oil lamp on his shoulders, and circumambulated the city while following traditional routes and rituals.

The procession passed through various cultural and religious sites, including Thasma Ganesh, Balkumari Shankhadhar Chowk, Barahi, Sallaghari, Siddhapokhari, Durbar Square, Sukuldhoka, Dattatreya Temple, Navadurga Dyoche, Taumadhi, Nyatapola Temple, Bhimsen Chowk, and other locations before concluding at Balkumari.

Shrestha first pierced his tongue in 2017 to revive the declining festival. He has since repeated the ritual in 2022 and 2023. “Madhyapur Thimi is a living repository of art and culture.

By continuing this tradition, I want to preserve and promote Thimi’s identity to the world,” he said, explaining that his choice of temples to visit reflects his personal devotion.