Pulu
Festival
Author
Kapil Sainju
Published
03 Sep, 2026
Each Guru Purnima, Kathmandu's Swayambhu Stupa is wrapped in Pulu, a bamboo mat marking Varshavasa.
The tradition is centered on the Swayambhu hill in Kathmandu and is upheld today by Jyapu community members of Tukan Bahal. Historically the work was divided across three phases among Jyapu communities from the upper, middle and lower parts of the city. The precise century in which the practice began is not established here.
This account draws on a documented description of the Pulu tradition, including its ritual sequence, the roles of the Jyapu community, and the Nepal Bhasa terms used for its placement and removal. Independent temple records or academic cross reference have not been consulted for this article and are noted here as an open item.
Swayambhu Mahachaitya is wrapped in a bamboo mat called Pulu every monsoon
Each year on Guru Purnima, Jyapu community members cover the stupa's upper structure with Pulu, a woven bamboo mat. The mat shields the gilded surface and wooden elements from monsoon rain, wind and lightning until it is removed months later.
Pulu carries two purposes, protecting the stupa and signaling Varshavasa
Placing the mat marks the start of Varshavasa, the three month retreat when Buddhist monks stay in their monastery for meditation. This dual meaning, protection and religious signal, is preserved in accounts of the tradition passed down through the Jyapu community.
The mat once took three separate work phases to complete
Jyapu communities from the upper, middle and lower parts of Kathmandu once divided the task across three stages, Bhalbhal Ashtami, Dashami or Chaturdashi, and Purnima. Today the entire covering is completed in a single day, on Guru Purnima itself.
3 months
Varshavasa retreat
3 phases
Original Jyapu shifts
Today only the Jyapu community of Tukan Bahal carries out this work
The mat comes down at Dashain, closing the cycle each year
The Pulu is taken down on Maha Ashtami during Dashain, called Kuchhi Bhway in Nepal Bhasa, returning the stupa to its usual form. The Tukan Bahal Jyapu community continues to carry out both the covering and the removal each year.
