Bara Si

An urban legend told time and again over the years, bara si has certainly managed to spook many. The urban legend is said to be inspired by true events, making it that much more scarier.

The Origin of the Legend

Bara Si is derived from two words: Bara and Si. The word comes from the concept of Bara or Surya Vivah in the Newa Tradition and ‘Si” means dead in Nepal bhasa. The urban legend of Bara Si refers to a girl who died during the process of Bara. The tradition of Bara is one that has been taking place since centuries in Nepal, even to this day. Girls from Newa culture are married three times in their life; one, to the bel fruit, two to the sun and the third time to their respective partner. The tradition of Bel Vivah and Surya Vivah was brought to protect the Newa girls from the Sati Pratha tradition, meaning that if they got married to the sun, they would never be a widow and would not have to be a sati. The Surya Vivah practice comes with its own set of rules and rituals that have been followed for ages. The young girl is kept in a dark room for 12 days where she is not to see the sunlight, away from the sight or sound of any male members. Unfortunately, some young girls died during this ritual. The young girl who died during Bara is to be buried under the house. Her body is to be taken to the basement of the house making a beeline from the room she was kept in. This means they would make a hole in the floor to reach the basement or they would remove certain planks on the old wooden stairs of Newa homes to carry the body downstairs. It is said the spirit of the girl buried haunts the house. Many have claimed to hear noises or see movements in Bara Si homes.

How Young Girls die during Bara?

We are talking of age way back when electricity was not available and health facilities were rare. It was not uncommon for young girls to fall sick during this time period of Bara. Enclosed in a room with no sunlight or warmth for 12 days deprived them of Vitamin D. During the older times, many young girls also faced death due to suffocation from the tuki light that was used when there was no electricity.

Why Young Girls Were Buried Under the Stairs of the Same House?

If a young girl were to die due to unfortunate circumstances during her bara as aforementioned, her body was to be buried under the stairs of the house or under the house and not to be taken outside as during normal times. Why was this done so? During Bara, girls were not supposed to see the sunlight or interact with or even see faces of the male gender, no, not even her own father or her brothers. This was why she was buried under the house as she could not complete the Bara process, thus prohibiting her from the rays of sunlight even after her death.

Stories of Barasi from Around Kathmandu Valley

I was able to get a hand on a few of the stories of Barasi from around the valley. However, it was quite difficult to do so, especially because people who knew of the Barasi have long since gone or most of the houses claimed to be Barasi have long since been destroyed and built a new houses upon. Barasi homes around Patan, Kathmandu, and Bhaktapur still stand to this day and people claim to feel unsettling whilst they are there.

Bara Si: The Movie

The legend of Bara si is one of the most popular urban tales in Nepal, especially since claimed to have been based on actual events. And that was the reason I had put off watching the movie based on the same legend for years, until last year.

Perhaps watching it in my earlier years would have made the movie scarier to me; now, not so much. It was a good attempt to showcase the urban legend and it captures people’s fear in the movie perfectly. Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with the assistant director of the movie: Mr. Jitendra Rajopadhya who was kind enough to share with me his experience in the making of the movie. Shot in an actual Barasi house in Thamel, back then, the set definitely had an eerie feeling that made the cast feel jumpy at times. Made in the year 2062 B.S, the script of the movie was written years earlier. And it makes sense since bara si is not something that happens recently.

A Different View

Barasi has always been associated with eerie feelings, spookiness, or hauntings and to an extent, these could be true. We are referring to a soul that has been trapped due to unfortunate circumstances, there is a rare chance that this would end in a pretty way. A trapped soul is agitated, justifiably, for years and years in the same house but if treated in a good way, Barasi has also been heard to be a boon for many people.

There are always two sides to a story.