350 years ago King Sri Nivasa Malla as he sat down by the window of his palace at Patan Dubar Square is believed to have noticed something peculiar. On a starry night he began hearing the tranquil melody of pauju ( Anklets) slowly approaching, and from a distance he saw a group of individuals dancing towards the palace. As he sat in wonder, who they might be? As they approached close, he could not fathom the beauty that his sights beholds. The group which displayed a beautiful dance was no other than the Asta Matrika’s ( Eight Mother Goddesses). Who danced there way into the court of Mul Chowk. King Sri Nivasa Malla, ran to the court to take blessings and witness their divinity but as he reached the palace square the Matrika’s had already ascended.
The “Gaan Pyakhan” is staged in the royal court of Mulchowk, inside Patan Durbar Square, Kartik Dabali and Nakabail Tol. “Gaan” translates from Newari as “Group” and “Pyakhan” translates to “dance”. The dance begins from the night of Ghatsthapana and is brought to a close during the night of Ekadashi.
According to legends, the King’s priests advised him to incorporate the newar pantheon so that they might not take offence. Thus, the dance features thirteen deities, eight mother goddesses ( Brahmani, Mahesvari, Bal Kumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrayani, Mahakali and Mahalaxmi), and five newar patron deities (Bhairav, Simhini, Vyagrihi, Lord Ganesh and Lord Kumar).
The goddesses are embodied by select individuals who have observed sacred rights and measures of purity. The performers first visit the shrine of Vajrasattva and take on the threefold refuge—Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. After which they take blessings from their teacher and present an offering. After all the performers have completed the ritual, the musicians play the opening tune following which the teacher instructs them in the dance in front of the temple of Nrityeshwara, the Lord of Dance. They then observe Upasadha (fasting) for a complete day and engage in meditation.
The Gaan Pyakha stands out from other masked dances of Kathmandu Valley in terms of the individuals who perform the dance. Most masked dances are performed by subjected lower castes of the society whereas the Gaan Pyakha is performed by the highest order of Buddhist castes (Bajracharya and Shakya).
It is a tradition passed down through generations, an art form first learned through observation of their grandparents and parents. Traditionally the next generation starts from the age of eight which is still continued to this date; to later be initiated by the chief priest and taught the ancient form of “Charya Nritya”, an ancient tantric form of spiritual meditation where the performer visualizes himself as the deity. It is symbolized by dresses with the color of the deity and various ornaments. The final piece is the mask itself, created in the image of the deity. The masks themselves have minute symbolic details in relation to the deity.
It is believed that the dance of Asta Matrikas is performed to remove various obstacles—the eight great fears (Water, Lions, Fire, Snakes, Elephants, Thieves, False Imprisonment and Ghosts). The worship of the deities is thought to bring prosperity and fortune to the king and his people.
The inception of the Asta Matrikas in the pantheon of the Gods and Goddesses of Nepal Valley(Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur) has multiple origins. One of the many legends associated is how the Asta Matrika’s were the guardians of the mother of Avalokitesvara Karunamaya also known as Rato Matsyendranath. He was brought from Kamakhya,Orissa by King Naradeva, Acharya Banudhata and Ratnakar Jyapu after the Nepal Valley faced a severe drought. Her mother the Queen refused to give away her son and after he was brought to the valley by a form of trickery. She followed and brought her guardians and an army. Knowing the immediate threat to the valley by her rage, Banudhata cast a spell trapping the her in the tree which stands tall at Lagankhel, Patan. After which nothing is known of the Matrikas but it is believed that they choose to stay in the valley to guard their Queen.
Times have changed since the inception of the Gaan Pyakhan; the Malla kings were overthrown by the Shah's but the tradition still continued. However, as the modern winds swept in, it became harder to sustain such archaic traditions. After the fall of the monarchy, many such cultural dances faced near extinction, as the King always bore the cost.