During the celebration of Pancadan at Haka Baha, offerings are made to Dipankara Buddha and to the human form of the goddess Kumari. In this photograph, devotees propitiate Kumari, seen enthroned in the center of the photograph. Dipankara Budda stands to the goddess' proper right dressed in yellow garments. The Pancadan festival plays a central role in the sacred Newar Buddhist month of Gunla. Each baha adorns its Dipankara images in elaborate crowns and robes, preparing them to be propitiated by lay practitioners who venture to the baha to make offerings of "the five gifts" -- rice, money, grains, etc. Dipankara signifies charity and the image of Dipankara characterizes the support by the lay community of the monastery, and the act of giving donations to the sangha.

Huntington Archive Image Scan #: N8002