Bungamati Village

Bungamati is a beautiful Newar village ignoring the Bagmati River on a spur of land located in Lalitpur district of Nepal. The town was called as Bugayumi during the period of Licchavi Kingdom and Bungapattan during Malla period. The village features beautiful Machhindranath temple and the village I also regarded as the hometown of god Machhindranath including another most important temple namely Karya Binayak temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The view from temple is gorgeous and wonderful which is bounded by large bamboo and Bagmati valley. Another, most important historical importance in Bungamati village is the living goddess Kumari, there is also one Kumari in Bungamati but people mostly know three Kumaris in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

The main religious focus to Bungamati village is the Temple of Machhindranath (also known as Bungadeya to the villagers) and derivation to the name of village is from the word “Bungaa” which means “watering place” or “spring” like the explanation of the name of the village. Bungadeya, being a primordial rain god, who was identified with Aryavalokiteshvara later, has many important mythological, historical and present-time ritual alliances with water. Machhindranath is also known by the name of Karunamaya, which means incarnation or representation of love and kindness like a mother. The Newari people of Bungamati village refer Machhindranath as Bungadeya while same god Machhindranath is referres as Karunamaya to the Newas from other parts of the valley.

Moreover, the main focus to the village is for the historically as well as religiously important monuments and watchable views of sceneries around the village. However, Machhindranath is regarded as the donor of the valley and his large shikhara-style is his home for six months of the year while he spends the rest of his time in Patan. Machhindranath festival is the important annual festival in the valley and the process of moving him back and forth between Patan and Bungamati is the tradition of the festival.