The living traditions of Indra Jatra
Music, masks, and celebration in the heart of Kathmandu.
A story from our 2023 festival programme. Contact us for this year’s dates and arrangements.
Indra (Hindu god of rain) Jatra is a traditional Newar festival celebrated for a week in the Kathmandu valley. Indra Jatra is a vibrant and colorful celebration filled with various cultural performances, including music, masked dances, and food.
The celebration is specially celebrated to pay homage to Lord Indra and Dagini for good rain for crops. Behind the celebration, it has very interesting stories where Lord Indra was captured in the Kathmandu valley while stealing flowers for his mother, Dagini.
In this account from 2023, the main festival was held on 28 September where the three golden chariots are pulled on the packed streets of the old town. The main attraction of Indra Jatra is the Kumari Jatra, where the living goddess Kumari, a young pre-pubescent girl who is considered the incarnation of the goddess Taleju parades in her golden palanquin followed by Ganesh and Bhairab.
The festival is also a blend of Hinduism and Buddhism even though the festival is primarily a hindu festival.
From the Explore Hub Nepal journal. Read the original story
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