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Nepal's Ancient City Of Bhaktapur Welcomes Nepali New Year With Beat

A Nepali artist from the Newa: community plays the flute during a mass celebratory event on the eve of the formal start of Biska Jatra, a nine-day procession welcoming the Nepali New Year, in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on April 9, 2026. Biska: Jatra, a popular religious festival in the Kathmandu Valley, begins with the ascension of Lord Bhairab onto a chariot built in front of the Nyatapola temple, the tallest temple in Nepal. Two groups of locals engage in a traditional tug-of-war with the chariot, a practice that has been followed for generations. The three-story wooden chariot, constructed in the pagoda style, is moved around the settlements with statues of Bhairavnath and Betal as part of the festival. Celebrated for nine days and eight nights, Biska: Jatra is believed to have originated during the Malla Dynasty and formally starts four days before the Nepali New Year. According to a local myth, anyone who marries the local princess dies on the first night of marriage, until a brave young man killed two snakes that attacked him. Biska: Jatra is unique as it does not follow the lunar-based Nepali Calendar and begins after a special Tantric ritual is performed in the Bhairab Temple in Taumadhi Tole, Bhaktapur. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13552068
Date Taken	9 April 2026
Location	N/A
Photographer	Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto

One Person Three Quarter Length Action Shot Nepali artist Newa community Kathmandu Valley flute mass celebratory event Biska Jatra Nepali New Year Bhaktapur Nepal April 9 2026 religious festivals Lord Bhairab chariot Nyatapola temple tallest temple locals show of strength three-storey chariot wood pagoda style Bhairavnath Betal cultural importance historical importance nine days eight nights Malla Dynasty local princes myth snakes Tantric ritual Bhairab Temple Taumadhi Tole lunar-based calendar Subaas Shrestha NurPhoto.