Matsyendranath (Bungadyo)
The story of Bungadyo, how Matsyendranath was brought from Kamarupa to end a drought and a chariot festival was begun.
Matsyendranath (Bungadyo)
When Guru Gorakhnath, angered at receiving no alms in the Kathmandu Valley, imprisoned the nine Nagas beneath his seat and settled at Mrigasthali, no rain fell for twelve years and a terrible drought and famine came to pass.
King Narendra Dev, the tantric Bandhudatta Acharya, and Lalit Jyapu went to Kamakhya in Kamarupa of Assam to fetch Gorakhnath's guru, the compassionate Aryavalokiteshvara (Matsyendranath).
There, by the power of tantric knowledge, they caused Matsyendranath to enter a golden pitcher in the form of a bumblebee, and carried him toward the valley. Along the way they scattered roasted deodar seeds so that Matsyendranath's mother, Matsyakanya, would not be able to follow.
When they reached Bungmati in the southern part of the valley, the sound "bu" issued from the pitcher, and so he came to be called 'Bungadyo'.
Hearing the news that Matsyendranath had entered the valley, Guru Gorakhnath sprang up from his seat to behold him. As soon as Gorakhnath rose, the nine Nagas who had been imprisoned were set free, and torrential rain fell throughout the valley and prosperity began.
Thereafter, honoring the king, the tantric, and the Jyapu, the tradition began of celebrating a grand chariot festival of Matsyendranath in Patan and Bungmati, which is celebrated even today as the longest and most famous chariot festival of Nepal.
Note: These are traditional Nepali folk tales (kimbadanti), passed down orally through generations. They may or may not reflect actual historical events, but they are told and believed as part of Nepal's cultural heritage.
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