Samyak Dan

A Buddhist festival, it is celebrated only in Nepal and on different dates by all the three cities in the Kathmandu Valley. In Kathmandu it is observed every 12 years; in Patan every five years; and in Bhaktapur every year usually in January and for two days. The festival especially honors Dipankara Buddha who predicted Lord Sakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment in a previous lifetime. At the same time, Buddhists also honor the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara, Arya Tara, and so on. In Bhaktapur, the Shakyas and Bajracharya gather in a samyak ground near the Napukhu pond accompanied by panchabuddhas and samyak buddhas that are offered chaku balls and rice.