Preparations are in full swing for the Indra Jatra festival in Basantapur area of Kathmandu.
From decorating the Gaddi Baithak, a historical palace used for coronations in the past, to constructing chariots, work is being carried out at a fast pace for the festival.
Known as Yenya in the Newari language, the eight-day Indra Jatra is the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu.
Indra Jatra begins on Bhadra Shukla Dwadashi, or the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadra, according to the Nepali calendar. On this day, a Yosin or Lingo, a ceremonial wooden pole, with the banner of Indra, the Hindu god of rain and good harvest, is raised in front of Hanuman Dhoka at Kathmandu Durbar Square. The pole is brought from a forest near Nala in Bhaktapur by people from the Manandhar clan.
The festival’s main day falls on Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi, or the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadra.
Kumari Jatra also takes place on the third day of Indra Jatra when chariots of the living goddess Kumari, Ganesh, and Bhairav are pulled through different parts of Kathmandu. The chariot processions continue for three days.
Masked dances such as Majipa Lakhey and Pulu Kisi, cultural and musical processions, and displays of various deities are other major attractions of the festival.
The festival is celebrated in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhulikhel, Dolakha, and other places.
