Puja - Worshiping The Gods

While stuck in a traffic, waiting for it to move, I looked at an old memorial on the side of the road and saw couple men sitting there, “playing” with water and leaves.

I entered through a small gate, asked permission and after I was welcome to join in I sat and observed. First I was concern if I’m not interrupting something very sacred, but to my surprise I learned that this highly spiritual ceremony of puja can have very informal, “business like” approach..

For the past 35 years, Laxman Khadka, popular local figure, does puja every year on his fathers’ dead anniversary. As he was egger to share, he also does puja for the 4 former kings of Nepal on the date of their dead anniversary.

Pujary - Bishnu Prasad Adhikari (man who is hired to perform the ceremony) and Laxman seemed to be a little bored by the whole process (I guess it gets tiring after 35 years of reputation). They held the puja in very informal manner and didn't hesitate to answer all sorts of questions I had.

As they kept saying prayers, reading and repeating the script, dropping water, mixing leaves, burning sticks and pray, the most bored seemed to be my translator, nepali photojournalist, who was truly amazed, how in the world can I be so enthusiastic about something so common and “every day like” as puja. I could read in his eyes: “You come all the way to Nepal, to photograph couple old men pouring water… really?”