By Our Correspondent
Kavre, Apr. 13: The religiously significant Harisiddhi Dance has arrived in Panauti after a dozen years.
The dance, brought to the Panauti Municipality from Harisiddhi of Lalitpur once every 12 years, was last staged here in 2010. That was the first time the dance had been staged in the city in 60 years; the long gap was caused by a lack of funds and resources.

The dancers arrived in Panauti on Monday. According to Suresh Sainju, coordinator of Harisiddhi Jatra Main Ceremony Committee, a team led by Purushottam Karmacharya of Panauti brought the dancers from Harisiddhi. The first performance of the dance was held on Tuesday and the second performance will be held on Wednesday, he informed.

The Harisiddhi Dance is performed by 29 priests of the Harisiddhi Temple. They showcase various tales related to the eight mother goddesses (Astamatrika) and other deities. They also act out sections of King Bikramaditya’s life as well as parts of the Ramayan.

The dance was staged in Dhulikhel from April 1 to April 4. From there, the dance went to Dolakha where it was presented for the first time in nearly a century. Then, it came to Jaybageshwori, Kathmandu and finally went to Panauti.

The Harisiddhi Dance is performed in Harisiddhi thrice a year and in Pashupati, Dolakha, Dhulikhel and Panauti once every 12 years.