by Merritt Clifton KATHMANDU, WASHINGTON D.C.––Even by the frequently hyperbolic standards of activist alerts and fundraising appeals, an alert distributed on October 2, 2014 by Humane Society International chief executive Andrew Rowan was grossly exaggerated. “Next month,” Rowan wrote, “the Gadhi Mai Festival will take place at a temple in southern […]
Donkeys, mules, & ponies struggle to survive Kathmandu brickyards
LALITPUR PATAN, Nepal––Some of the donkeys, mules, and ponies who have survived hard use in the brickyards of the southern Kathmandu Valley may long outlive the local brick industry. Given good sanctuary care, some of these hard-used equines may live 30 years or more. Under 15 years […]
Books shed light on sacrifice in Nepal
Elephant Polo: the Rise and Fall of a Hotel in Nepal by Cas de Stoppelaar Translated from the original Dutch by Adriaan Verheul Vajra Book Shop, 2007: http://www.elephantpolonovel.com/ 296 pages, paperback & audiobook Religions In Nepal (2013 edition) by Trilok Chandra Majupuria & Rohit Kumar (Majupuria) Modern Printing Press, Kantipath, Kathmandu, Nepal 401 pages, […]
The origin of the Gadhi Mai sacrifice
KATHMANDU––Animal sacrifice clearly has been practiced at Bariyarpur in honor of the local goddess Gadhi Mai for centuries, even if not in anything like the numbers of recent years. But what was the actual tradition? Anil Bhanot, general secretary of the United Kingdom Hindu Council, offered the best-known version of the origin of the Gadhi […]