Indra Jatra

Posted On:Thursday, February 28, 2019

Festival

One of the revered festivals is Indra Jatra in the Kathmandu valley. It falls in September, on the Bhadra Shukla Chaturdansi of Nepali month. It is an eight-day long festival. Indra Jatra is specially celebrated in three districts of Kathmandu valley, Dhulikhel and Dolakha. According to history, the festival was begun to be celebrated in memory of discovering Kathmandu valley in the 10th century by King Gunakamadeva. Later the Malla dynasty, Jaya Prakash Malla started to coincide with Kumari Jatra in the 18th Century. Indra Jatra is celebrated in the center of Kathmandu, around Durbar Square. Indra Jatra is replicated by masked dances of deities and demons, it displays of sacred images and tableaus in honor of the deity Indra, the king of heaven. Kumari Jatra is the chariot procession of the living goddess Kumari. Family members deceased in the past year are also remembered.

This is the most exciting and revered festival in the Newari community of the Kathmandu Valley. Masks dancers known as Lakhay, they dance at the street with accompanying drummers. According to the Hindu myth, Indra is a god of rain and worshiping for a good harvest. On the day of the festival, the wooden pole is brought from Nala jungle. The jungle is near to Kavre and erected at Hanumandhoka a historic place of Kathmandu. The pole is called Lingo. Lord Bhairav is worshiped on the bottom of the pole. During the festival, chariot procession to Kumari a living goddess and among other deities, cultural song and dance are performed by tableaus.

President of the country among other leaders and dignitaries observe the chariot processions in Basantapur Durbar Square.