Kathmandu — At just three and a half years old, Yanish Bir Singh Tuladhar took the lead in one of Kathmandu’s distinctive Dashain traditions on Thursday, becoming the youngest leader of the traditional sword procession known as *Paya Jatra* or *Asan Chalan*.
The young boy, son of Yogendra Bir Singh Tuladhar and Anisha Tuladhar, led the procession as ‘Thakali’, or ceremonial leader, reflecting a unique custom of the Tuladhar community in Ason, where the youngest member of the community takes the leading role.
Unlike other Paya Jatra processions, in which senior citizens traditionally lead with ceremonial swords, Ason’s version turns the custom on its head. Here, leadership passes to the youngest generation, making the procession a distinctive expression of cultural continuity and community identity.
On the 11th day of Dashain, corresponding to the lunar day of Ekadashi, members of the Tuladhar community gathered at Asan in Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward 27 to observe the annual ritual. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments, the procession moved through the neighbourhood after religious ceremonies at the community’s shrine dedicated to its ancestral deity.
The ritual included the symbolic slaying of a demon figure painted on an ash gourd. By cutting the figure with a ceremonial sword, participants enact the triumph of good over evil and the victory of divine power over demonic forces.
The observance is rooted in religious practices that begin on Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain, when sacred jamara, or barley and other grains grown as ritual sprouts, are planted. During the festival, the community offers the jamara to deities and performs worship at sacred sites associated with divine power.
For the Tuladhar community, the procession is more than a festive spectacle. It is a ritual believed to protect people from evil and demonic influences.
“The practice is observed with the belief that it protects people from demonic and evil tendencies,” said entrepreneur Gyanendra Ratna Tuladhar.
The tradition also reflects the community’s distinctive Dashain calendar. As many local Tuladhars remain occupied with business on Vijaya Dashami, the main day of the festival, they observe their family celebrations on Ekadashi. They receive tika and prasad from elders and gather with relatives and extended family members.
With Yanish at the head of this year’s procession, Asan’s streets offered a glimpse of how living heritage passes from one generation to the next. In a city where ancient rituals continue amid the pace of modern urban life, the sight of a toddler leading a sword procession served as a reminder that preserving tradition sometimes begins with placing the youngest hands at the forefront.
Photo : Pradip Ratna Tuladhar
