Organizers said an estimated 100,000 people from a wide religious and cultural spectrum are expected to take part in the 24 hour-long-religious parade. Devotees from far and wide have already arrived here. They have been offered free accommodation. Over 500 volunteers will work to smoothen the procession and the government has already put security forces on high alert to thwart any untoward incidents.

The participants will visit 141 temples and monasteries of religious significance on the 60-km-long parade around Kathmandu Valley calling for peace and religious harmony among different religious denominations. The parade will start from Nagbahal, Lagankhel; and pass through scores of places including Swayambhu, Narayanhiti, Chhethrapati, Thapathali, Tangal, Pashupati, Chabahil and Boudha. The devotees will visit scores of temples including Ashok Binayak, Ichangu (Swayambhu), Bikramsil Mahavira, Devpatan, Boudha Stupa, Pashupatinath, Guheswori and finally end at Lanagankhel.

The history of the event can be found on records as old as 1902 BS (1865 AD) in the holy scripts of the Golden Temple, one of the major tourist attractions in Lalitpur. Legend has it that the procession began during the Malla period, chiefly to address the then brewing tensions between Hindus and Buddhists in the valley on the issue of forced conversion.

Another legend says Shakyamuni Buddha was born in Nepal in the form of a blue bull. The bull went round all the places and finally disappeared at a place called Nagbahal in Lalitpur. People started worshipping this idol and began the procession considering it as a disciple of Gautam Buddha.

Some 17,000 are believed to have taken part in the last procession that took place in 1967. The next parade, due in 1986, could not take place chiefly due to astrologers inability to decide when the event should actually begin. "People had also forgotten the procession that came after 19 years," says Sagun Dhakhwa, chief of the publicity department of the Deepankha Yatra Organizing Committee. According to Buddhist Professor Asha Ram Shakya, the rare event can be organized only if Ashwin Sukla Purnima coincides with a Sunday in addition to Rewatipar Ashwini Nachhyatra, Harsha Yog and Sankranti on the same day.

"The festival signifies religious harmony in which we want to spread the message of peace and religious tolerance among all religious groups," Dharma Ratna Shakya, chairman of the organizing committee told the Post. Devotees will offer a combination of nine grains as a symbol of nine planets. On Sunday, they offered "Kishli", a combination of grains in a small earthen vessel with a coin and nut to the idol of the bull at Nagbahal.