Kwabaha: a Buddhist Pilgirm Tourism Site
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KWABAHA: A BUDDHIST PILGIRM TOURISM SITE A Thesis Submitted To Central Department of Buddhist Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Degree of Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies Submitted By Bikash Gnawali Roll No. 31 Regd No. 6-2-37-764-2005 Batch No. 2067/68 Central Department of Buddhist Studies Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur Kathmandu 2017 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “Kwabaha: A Buddhist Pilgrim Tourism Site” has been prepared by Mr. Bikash Gnawali (Roll No. 31/batch 2067/68) under my guidance. This dissertation has been prepared for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master's Degree in Buddhist Studies. Therefore, I forward it to the Evaluation Committee for final approval and acceptance. __________________ Dr. Gautam Bir Bajracharya Thesis Guide Lecturer Central Department of Buddhist Studies Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 11/04/2017 i TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF BUDDHIST STUDIES KATHMANDU, NEPAL LETTER OF APPROVAL The Evaluation Committee has approved this dissertation entitled “Kwabaha: A Buddhist Pilgrim Tourism Site” submitted by Mr. Bikash Gnawali for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Arts Degree in Buddhist Studies. Evaluation Committee Head of Department/ Head of the Evaluation Committee (Dr. Milan Ratna Shakya) _______________ External Examiner Prof. Dr. Ramesh Raj Kunwar _______________ Thesis guide Dr. Gautam Bir Bajracharya _______________ 11/04/2017 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Dr. Gautam Bir Bajracharya, Lecturer of the Central Department of Buddhist Studies, Tribhuvan University for his intellectual direction, inspiration and supervision during the preparation of this dissertation. Similarly, I would like to express many thanks to Dr. Milan Ratna Shakya, Associate Professor and Head of Department (HOD) at Central Department of Buddhist Studies, Tribhuvan University for allowing to carrying out the dissertation in the given title. It would have not been possible for me to complete this research work without his guidance. I would like to express many thanks to Lecturer Dr. Surendra Man Bajracharya and Lecturer Mr. Vedraj Gnawali for their academic guidance. Similarly I would like to thank Mr. Bikram Raj Bajracharya and Mr. Somraj Shakya for their generous support during the field work. I would like to thank Central Department of Buddhist Studies, The Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods, Lotus Research Centre, Social Science Baha, and the Central Library, TU, Kirtipur for their kind co-operation. Thanks are to all of the respondents and informants for providing necessary information. I am thankful to all of my friends and family members who helped in many ways to complete this study. The study would be useful to various institutions and organizations working in areas of Buddhist Studies and Pilgrimage Tourism. Their comments on the thesis will be highly appreciated. Bikash Gnawali 2017 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION i LETTER OF APPROVAL ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv CHAPTER – I Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Statement of the Problems 5 1.3 Objective of the Study 7 1.4 Limitations of the Study 8 1.5 Literature Review 8 1.6 Significance of the Study 13 1.7 Research Methodology 14 1.8 Ethical Consideration 18 1.9 Chapter Organization 19 CHAPTER – II Kwabaha as pilgrimage Tourism Destination 20 2.1 Historical Background of the Baha 20 2.2 Key Features of the Baha 22 2.3 Major Festivals and Rituals 24 2.4 Major Artistic Features 28 2.5 Recent Touristic Phenomenon in the Baha 29 2.6 Role of Local Community in Tourism Promotion 33 CHAPTER – III Tourism publications on Kwabaha 45 3.1 Touristic Publications of Kwabaha in Academic Materials 45 3.2 Touristic Publications in tourism materials 46 3.3 Efforts of Local Community People for the Publications 52 CHAPTER – IX Baha as a Pilgrimage Tourist Site: Benefits and Drawbacks 53 iv 4.1 Impact on Culture 53 4.2 Impact on Economy 56 4.3 Impact on Environment 59 4.4 Community Based Sustainable Tourism Management Practices in the Baha 59 CHAPTER – V Strategies for the Promotion of Tourism in the Baha 62 5.1 Information Sharing 62 5.2 Youth Mobilization 63 5.3 Training Local People on Hospitality 64 5.4 Organizing Cultural Shows 65 5.5 Sharing the Benefit 65 5.6 Developing Baha as a Learning Center 66 5.7 Participating the Tourists in the Rituals and Festivals 67 5.8 Strengthening Internal Tourism 68 5.9 Use of Modern Technology and Publications. 68 CHAPTER – VI Summary and Conclusion 69 6.1 Summary 69 6.2 Conclusion 71 REFRENCES 72 APPENDIX I Questionnaire of Key Informant Interview 78 APPENDIX II Name List of Key informants 80 APPENDIX III- Plates/ Figures 81 v CHAPTER – I Introduction 1.1 Background Kathmandu valley has three main cities, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur which are politically known as districts. These three districts have several other large and small clusters. This valley is the political heart of Nepal, the main center of communication, business and education. This place is site of ancient Hindu and Buddhist shrines. Only in the Kathmandu Valley can one still find Mahayana Buddhism within a South Asian cultural environment1. According to Swyambhu Purana, the indigenous local Buddhist text having mythological account of Kathmandu Valley, this valley was a lake named Nagdaha. Manjushree who is taken as a Boddhisattva (who aspires supreme enlightenment to others) believed to have come from China and struck a deep cleft at Chovar and passed the water from the valley and gradually the place became settlement and agricultural area where the civilization grown up. Patan is one of the most artistic and ritualistic city of Nepal. This city is also famous for its various religious rites, rituals, festivals etc. It is named as Yelung or Yela after the name of its founder, it is named as Yerlang (in Tibetan language Yerlang means 'most beautiful city'), in Nepal Bhasa it became Yela, which means 'the city of fine arts‟. After the name of the four Stupas which are believed to be built by emperor Ashok, this city is named as Ashokapattan. It is believed that name Yella is phonetically and etymologically 1 David N. Gellner, Monk, Householder, And Tantric Priest, Newar Buddhism and its hierarchy of rituals (Cambridge: University Press Cambridge, 1992), P.1 1 close to Yellunga, the capital city of King Yalamba or Yalalbar, who is supposed to be the founder of Kirat dynasty. It is named Lalitpur after the name of a mythological person named Lalit, who cleared the forest called Lalitwan. There are several names used for this city. Some of them are Yupagrama Yangla, Lalit-bruma, Yeelladesa, Sahoka-Pattan, Lalitpuri, Lalitpattan, Lalitpur etc2. The history of Nepal starts with the history of pilgrimage in the Kathmandu Valley. It is believed that before human settlement, Kathmandu valley was popular place for pilgrimage. This belief is based upon the various mythologies like Swyambhu Purana. It is widely believed that even before the birth of historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautam) the land of Nepal was traversed by the Buddhas like Dipankara, Vipassi, Sikhi, Vissabhu, Kassapa, Kakuchanda and Kanakmuni 3 . The practice of pilgrimage in Buddhism probably started with visits to the places where the relics of Buddha's body were collected from the funeral pyre and divided to various eight places. The main aim of visiting such place was to achieve advancements in the next births and to show respect towards religious masters. Pilgrimage tourism is a long practiced religious activity among Buddhist religious communities. The Buddhist version gives credit for the origin of the valley to Sage Manjushree who came from China to worship Swayambhu4. According to Swyambhu Purana, one of the major sources for the mythological study of Kathmandu Valley, this valley was a lake named Nagdaha. Manjushree who is taken as a Boddhisattva (who aspire supreme enlightenment to others) believed to have come from China and struck a deep cleft and passed the water from Chobhar and gradually the place became settlement and agricultural area where the civilization grown up. 2 Ranjana Dhakhwa Bajracharya, Role of the Hiranyavarna Mahavihara in socio-cultural life of the Buddhist Newars of Patan, An Unpublished PhD dissertation submitted to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University, 1993, p.21 3 Sanghasen Singh, Forward, Buddhism in Nepal (465 B.C. to 1199 A.D.) by Naresh Man Bajracharya (Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers, 1998), P. Xii 4 Nepal Tourism Board, Cultural Treasures of Nepal with special focus on Kathmandu Valley, (Kathmandu: Nepal Tourism Board, 2012), P.23 2 Although mythological documents provide evidences of visits of Saptatathagatas, various kings and pilgrims to Nepal, modern form of tourism started in Nepal only after the opening of borders to foreigners in 1950s. Regarding the modern concept, tourism is a relatively recent phenomenon in Nepal5. It is clear that he who visits abroad at least for twenty four-hours is called the tourist6. Tourists leave their permanent living and workplace in order to get away from daily routine and cross a distance to a workplace in order to get away from daily routine and cross a distance to an "other place"7. The pilgrims participating in a religious journey is perceived as a spiritual figure who is interested in pious phenomena and the physical reality connected to them: thus, religious pilgrim can be defined as spiritual, supernatural being8. Pilgrimage is the opening of tourism in Nepal9. Being the birth place of Gautam Buddha, Nepal has high probability of booming cultural and spiritual tourism. By virtue of being placed strategically in the Trans-Asian belt with Lumbini as the focal point, has become vital center for promoting Buddhist cultural tourism from all Buddhist countries of Asia10.