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Dashain is here. You can feel it. Mornings are pleasantly warm and everything suddenly looks sharply focused. More tellingly, shopping areas are crowded, there are more vehicles on the roads and kites in the sky. Bus ticket counters are packed with people trying to get hold of tickets so that they could travel home in time for the big festival, while in the outskirts of Kathmandu Valley, traditional swings are being erected. This week, I turned my lens to all things that represent the greatest festival of Nepali Hindus. The 10-day festival kicked off with Ghatasthapana (Sept 26). The day is observed by planting of barley seeds, whose sprouts are used as a blessing of goddess Durga on the day of Bijaya Dashami. Dashain is a festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. According to the Hindu mythology, goddess Durga had slayed demon Mahishasura in a battle that lasted for 10 days. The first nine days symbolizes the battle which took place between the different manifestations of Durga and Mahishasura. The tenth day is the demon was killed. But for most Nepalis, Dashain is more than just its religious symbolism. It is also about family reunion. People living in city areas for job or study head to their hometowns to be with their loved ones.

Indra Jatra, the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, kicks off on Friday, Sept 9. The week-long celebrations have two events: Indra Jatra and Kumari Jatra.  The festival starts with the erecting of Linga, a pole from which the banner of Indra is unfurled, at the Kathmandu Durbar Square. It’s then followed by days of elaborate chariot procession of three deities—Ganesh, Bhairav and Kumari, masked dance of deities and demons, and feasts in Newar households.  Days ahead of the festival on Wednesday, volunteers and Nepal Army (NA) personnel were busy preparing for the big day.  Statues, idols, and temples around the square were being spruced up. The temple of Swet Bhairav, which is closed throughout the year, was opened.  The NA personnel, meanwhile, were pulling the tree trunk, which was to be made into the Linga. The tree is brought from the forest near Nala, a small town 29 km east of Kathmandu.  Not far away from the palace square, a group of masked dancers were performing their ritual dance, while the members of Guruji Paltan of the Nepal Army were practicing the gun salute.  Indra Jatra was started by King Gunakamadeva to commemorate the founding of Kathmandu city in the 10th century. Kumari Jatra began in the mid-18th century. The celebrations are held according to the lunar calendar, so this is a moveable feast.