Kathmandu hosts Panchadan and Dipankara Buddha procession to commemorate delayed Samyak Mahadan

nepalontheweb.com

Jul 30, 2026 2 min read

KATHMANDU — Hundreds of devotees gathered in Kathmandu’s historic Mahabouddha and Asan areas on Wednesday to take part in the traditional Panchadan ceremony and a procession of Dipankara Buddha, commemorating the Samyak Mahadan, a grand Buddhist almsgiving festival that has not been held for the past 24 years.
The event was organised to symbolically recall the Samyak Mahadan, which is traditionally observed every 12 years at Swayambhunath but has not taken place since 2003 (2060 B.S.).
Acting Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Sunita Dangol attended the ceremony, where she met devotees and community representatives to learn about the cultural and social significance of the centuries-old tradition. She said the city wanted to implement heritage conservation programmes based on the needs and recommendations of local communities and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Kathmandu’s intangible cultural heritage.

The procession featured 85 Shakya elders, Buddhist monks, Dipankara Buddha images from monasteries across Kathmandu, and representations of the Living Deities Ganesh and Bhairav carried through the historic city centre.
The day’s events began with the ceremonial seating of the Dipankara Buddha images. Devotees offered Panchadan between donating five essential items — rice, unhusked paddy, salt, lentils and monetary offerings — a ritual believed to bring religious merit in the Newar Buddhist tradition.
The procession later passed through Mahabouddha, Asan, Tyoda, Inbahal, Kamalakshi and Bhotahiti before concluding at the Asan Dabali, where worship ceremonies continued.
Samyak Mahadan is regarded as one of the most significant religious traditions of the Newar Buddhist community and is celebrated at Swayambhunath at 12-year intervals. The last full Samyak Mahadan was held in 2003, and the festival has yet to be organised again, making this year’s commemorative Panchadan and Dipankara procession particularly significant.