Photo Feature | Gearing up for Indra Jatra

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.