Locals of Nuwakot have been celebrating Sindure Jatra or Barsha Bandhan Jatra over the past couple of weeks.
On Thursday, teams of male and female shamans, Ganesh, Kumar, guthi members and others accompanied by musical bands took part in a procession from the Bhairavi Mai Temple to the Tulaja Bhawani Temple as part of the festival.
They also smeared each other with vermilion powder along the way.
On Friday, syabaji was offered according to rituals on the Tulaja Bhawani Temple premises.
Sindure Jatra commenced on April 8 this year. But the festival officially began only after the raising of the yosin (wooden pole) in front of the temples of Budhi Bhairavi (Goddess Bhairavi’s mother) and Bhairavi on April 22.
The yosin at the Bhairavi Temple will be lowered on May 3 and the one at the Budhi Bhairavi Temple on May 4, marking the end of this year’s Sindure Jatra.
The shaman has a special role in the festival. Eighty-four years old Hari Man Singh Dangol is the shaman in this year’s festival.
After the festival is over, he will serve Goddess Bhairavi as a priest.
