Thoughts on Bhai Tika

so I know I said Tihar was over, but..

Last Wednesday was the last day of Tihar. It all built up to its conclusion with Bhai Tika, where brothers receive a special blessing from their sisters—and give them presents in return. And Rani Pokhari, a small temple surrounded by a pond in the center of the city, is traditionally where those without sisters go to get their blessing.

I’d been here years before I ever went in—I’d been asked to look after a group of Italian-speaking tourists whose guide wanted a day off. Rani Pokhari was one of the places on their list that day, Bhai Tika being one of the few days of the year the temple is open.

And then the earthquake of 2015 happened, and the temple was one of the many structures that were destroyed. Its reconstruction took several years amidst controversial modernization plans that were eventually scrapped in favor of a traditional reconstruction, completed in 2020.

Since then, it’s become something of a habit for me to visit on Bhai Tika. I start with a walk around the perimeter: flowering trees circle the pond and people are sitting under them, resting and chatting. People take photos of themselves and their families. After completing a turn, I walk along the small, narrow bridge that leads the temple at the center of the pond. It’s clearly gotten a fresh coat of paint: everything gleams in the bright sunshine. I make a loop of the temple too, where people who aren’t taking photos are getting their tikas from a line of women dressed in red, colored powder arrayed in front of them.

Heading back across the bridge is stop-and-start. One of the security guards is taking a couple’s photo. A woman is trying to get just the right pose. No one minds pausing for each other, there are smiles all round.