01/09/2026
🙏🏼Bhaktapur's Living Museum: Free to visit for eight nights and nine days
Historian and cultural expert Prof. Dr. Purushottamlochan Shrestha says that Bhaktapur is an open-air museum. Some call it a living museum, while others call it a living book. Apart from this, historian Jagadish Shamsher Rana used to call Bhaktapur a city of dance and song.
No matter what anyone says, Bhaktapur is a city of artists. It is also a place where lively cultural performances are held at night. Some may not know this, but every year in Bhaktapur, for eight nights and nine days on Gunhipunhi (Janai Purnima), all these themes can be seen, that too free of charge.
From the fourth day of G*ijatra, live cultural programs are held on the streets of Bhaktapur. In this, musicians, songwriters, and artists give live performances according to the dance. This can also be called a ‘live concert’ in modern colloquial language.
At this time, various types of dances are held in the streets of Bhaktapur in the evening. There is a tradition of performing dances such as Fakandali Pyakham, G*icha Pyakham, Mak Pyakham, Nagancha Pyakham, Lakhe Pyakham, Devi Naach, Bhairav Naach, Kawancha Pyakham, Lusicha Pyakham, Jangli Pyakham, Khicha Pyakham, Khycha Pyakham, Mayur Pyakham, Lusicha Pyakham.
Pyakham means dance in Nepali. Also, Khyal, which means drama, is shown in the villages. Khyal Prashan is also shown in Nepali on various contemporary topics. Traditional costumes are worn in all these dances.
At this time, people usually dance by wearing a mask according to the dance. Children from five years old to 70 years old participate in this. A dance lasts at least five to seven minutes.
It is brought from village to village for performance. It is performed in villages all over Bhaktapur city. So even if you forget to watch it one day, you can go to another village the next day and watch the same dance.
The dance that belongs to the neighborhood should be performed in different places every day and performed throughout the city. For this reason, if you sit in one place every day, you can see all the dances throughout the G*ijatra. A different group performs the dance every day at each place.
According to the local elders of Bhaktapur, night cultural exhibitions have been going on in Bhaktapur for many years. Earlier, cultural exhibitions were held in every neighborhood.
But now, stages are being set up in neighborhoods and performed at various places in Bhaktapur. Apart from this, night bhajans and cultural programs are being held in public places in Bhaktapur city throughout the year.
Last year, it was held in Dattatraya, Nasamana and Bhuulachhen in Bhaktapur, while this year it is said that the exhibition will be held in Bhaktapur Municipality-9 Suryamadhi, Ward No. 6 Chochhen and Ward No. 4 Nasamna.
Prabina Banamala, a local from Inacho, Bhaktapur Municipality-7, said that this will be held from the fourth day of Gunhipunhi (Janai Purnima) to Krishna Ashtami. This year, it will be held from Bhadra 15 to 19, he says.
He says that many people still do not know that such a night-time cultural exhibition is held in Bhaktapur. He says, ‘The G*ijatra of Bhaktapur is not a one-day event, but rather lasts for eight nights and nine days.’
Although the main day of G*ijatra is a day-long event or dance, other days are only in the evening. This cultural program is held from 5 pm to 12 midnight.
A night-time cultural fair is held in Bhaktapur from the day of Tritiya. Rabindra Jyakhv, ward chairman of Bhaktapur Municipality-9, says that there is no fee for this fair. He says that it is not only held in one place but also in the neighborhoods.
He also says that you can watch the dance openly in many places on the same day. For the convenience of all the audience, the dances are shown in double-decker format.
Sunil Prajapati, the mayor of Bhaktapur Municipality, says that the municipality has been preserving such original dances of Bhaktapur. For this reason, he says, the municipality has been rewarding the best dances with cash to keep the dances alive.
He informed that since 2074 BS, Bhaktapur Municipality has been organizing Dhe Dhe Bala Kasa (cultural competition) to preserve cultural traditions.
For this, he says that stages are set up in different parts of the city to show the dances and evaluate them. He said that later on the occasion of World Tourism Day, they have been distributing cash honors and awards to them.
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इतिहास एवं संस्कृतिविद् प्रा डा पुरुषोतमलोचन श्रेष्ठ भन्छन् भक्तपुर खुल्ला आकाशमुनिको सङ्ग्रहालय हो।
