Jawalakhel
Jawalakhel | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Country |  Nepal |
| Zone | Bagmati Zone |
| District | Lalitpur District |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (Nepal Time) |
Jawalakhel (Nepali: जावलाखेल) is a town in Lalitpur District in Nepal. It is located 2 km from the ancient city of Patan. Jawalakhel is famous for the annual chariot festival of Rato Machhendranath which ends with the Bhoto Jatra ceremony that takes place on the large open ground at the town center.
Jawalakhel has the only zoo in Nepal. Central Zoo was established by the Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shamsher in 1932 as a private zoo. It came under government control in 1950. In December 1995, the government handed over responsibility of running the zoo for 30 years to the National Trust for Nature Conservation.[1]
The head office of Buddha Air is located in Jawalakhel.[2]
There is also a famous football club called Jawalakhel Youth Club which was established by former police chief Nara Shamsher Rana.
Name origin
Jawalakhel means "rice throwing field" in Nepal Bhasa. The name is derived from the large open field where cooked rice is offered as part of a religious ceremony.
The large open field holds cultural and religious significance as it is the venue of the festival of Bhoto Jatra, the display of the sacred vest. This is the grand finale of the chariot festival of Bunga Dyah, the most important and longest celebration held in Lalitpur. Two chariots containing images of Bunga Dyah (Machhendranath) and Chakuwa Dyah (Minnath) are pulled through the streets of Lalitpur for a month and brought here for Bhoto Jatra.
References
- ^ Central Zoo: The Only Zoo of Nepal
- ^ "Domestic/International." Buddha Air. Retrieved on 26 September 2011. "The company headquarter is located at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur"
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