Bheemasena

Bheemsena, one of the great heroes of. the  Mahabharata is very popular in Nepal. He is known  for his super strength and bravery. The Mahabharata  tells us how he had always pushed himself in front to fight the wicked and protect the poor. It is said that one of his arms along had the strenght of hundreds of elephants. One of his very fascinating portraits in which he is shown lifting a spirited i in the air with one hand and a lion with another is quite popular in the traders community of Nepal. One can see this portrait of Bheemsena decorated with great feeling and faith on the walls of almost every sizeable shops in Nepal. Red  faced Bheemsena with red round eyes and think black mustache really looks fierce and frightening. He is One o art works as an unusually strong athlete bearing a serious  look. The attitude of anger is said to symbolise his determination to kill Dushashan, his great enemy who had insulted his most innocent sister-in-law Draupadi in public. This is the main reason why the statue of this Hindu Hercules is represented in an attitude of killing  in  almost all the Bheemsena temples of Nepal. One of the most lively statues of Bheemsena can be seen in Patan Bheemsena temple at Patan Durbar Square. a toll  this spiuitc.irse o has one but it is not that impressive and Ne thi where are three main temples dedicated to They faif),sh rr the Kathmandu Valley, they are located in devotqed_indu)n and Kathmandu. Another very famous one musshaneastern Nepal which is out of the Kathmandu in f the this there are many other small shrines and seri( Bhare scattered here and there in this country. All his andit about the popularity of Bheernsena in Nepal. o hsive. people have great respect for Bheemsena. pinsenaned several guthis, a sort of temple trust, tells us He Bha regular as well as occasional service for this wicked in tilkh alone t rn(m Be5 very fac,,,, ‘,4 popular deity. During the time of the Mahabharata and the Purana Bheemsena was respected only as a great hero but interestingly enough in Nepal he is also worshipped also as a god of commerce and trade than in any other form. Animals also are sacrificed to him. He is said to find himself very hungry at very close intervals because of the hard physical task he has to perform for the benefit of his devotees. According to a local legend the sacrifice of animals is offered to him as a humble compensation gift for the physical labour he has to put to the strenous public tasks. This is quite typical of Nepal. As a protector he is worshipped by the simple-minded people, as a promoter of the trade, by the traders; and as a destroyer of enemies, by the warriors. How Bheemsena came to be recognised as a god of commerce and trade ? As we all know Nepal is a mountainous country and in the ancient past the only commercial routes Nepal was-connected with the neighbouring countries viz., India and China were all inaccessible mountain trails. The Nepalese traders who wanted to do their business with the neighbouring countries had to traverse through several mountains and dense dark jungles for months together which was quite a challenge, and only the brave and intelligent business men could undertake. In other words, setting out for another country to make a business trip in those days was like going to the war with the enemy country. A businessman used to travel with a battalion of fellow traders and other travellers. One can compare it with an ambitious Himalayan expedition which also includes hundreds of porters, all kinds of equipment and food supplies. The old time traders never cared much for the beast of burden. They hired porters. The reason was that theyneeded a well-organized party of assistants and porters whom they could also use as an army to fight the mountain robbers and scare away the wild animals they might face on their route. Another thing they cared for was the good grace of Bheemsena who was the great god of strength and bravery. There are lots of 'ones and legends woven around Bheemsena which describe the brave deeds he to protect the weak and destroy the wicked. Bheemsena was the magic help for the mountain porters, peasants and farmers. It is said that this Hindu Hercules was always there for help in disguised form whenever his devotees were in trouble or were exausted. There is a very popular story : Once a farmer was helplessly musing over his field work which he had not been able to finish. He was all alone and could not get for his help. It was this time that Bheemsena, appeared before him in the disguised form of a very strong-looking peasant and dramatically told the farmer that he was terribly hungry and if he could kindly give him something to eat. The farmer immediately gave him his entire lunch box which the hungry guest gulped down. The guest asked the farmer if he could give him some more. At this the farmer said that he could go and get some more if he could wait for few minutes. The funny guest okayed his words. The farmers went home to get the food. But no sooner the farmer left the field Bheemsena stood up and plunged himself into the field work and finished all the work left undone in a second which would have taken several strong people. When the farmer hurried back to the field with the food. Bheemsena was no longer there. Thus the farmer was well rewarded for the lunch given to his hungry guest. •