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Nepal’s Living Deities Start Five-day Tour Of The City On Indra Jatra
Nepali Hindu devotees hold the rope to pull the chariot of the living deities during the Indra Jatra procession at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6, 2025. The ascension of three living deities--the Kumari, Ganesh, and Bhairab in the form of humans on three different chariots that tour around the city--is an annual festival observed for eight days starting from Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi of the Nepali month of Bhadra. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, as per the lunar calendar, is the Indra Jatra, which is followed for a long time. Legends say that the Indra Jatra festival is observed to celebrate the victory of the gods over the demons to release Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra. It is believed that Lord Indra comes to the earth to collect white flowers for his mother but is caught by the locals (The Newars) of the Kathmandu valley and kept bound. After Lord Indra's mother, Jayanta, comes and discloses his identity, a procession takes place, which continues till now. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)
