Month-long Gunla festival concludes (Pictures)

Setopati

Kathmandu, Aug 24

The month-long Gunla festival concluded on Sunday.

This festival, primarily celebrated by the Buddhist community, is marked by singing devotional songs of Buddha, and circumambulating monasteries, temples, and Buddhist stupas, accompanied by traditional music.

This year’s festival, which began on July 25, concluded on Sunday with circumambulations of various local Buddhist stupas.

During this festival, it is customary to play nine types of musical instruments while circumambulating stupas and temples each day chanting verses and mantras. Devotees observe a fast, abstaining from salt and eating only one meal a day throughout the month, and perform worship and prayers in the morning and evening.

The Gunla festival is celebrated with similar traditions in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kirtipur, and Madhyapur Thimi.