"Elephant Valley"

#12723503

6 September 2025

''Pulukisi,'' the mythical elephant of Hindu Lord Indra, god of rain, parades through Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6, during Indra Jatra. 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, according to the lunar calendar, is Indra Jatra, which has been 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12723504

6 September 2025

''Pulukisi,'' the mythical elephant of Hindu Lord Indra, god of rain, parades through Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6, during Indra Jatra. 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, according to the lunar calendar, is Indra Jatra, which has been 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#11581646

18 September 2024

Devotees direct a masked dancer resembling an elephant, locally called Pulukisi, a means of transport for the Hindu rain god Indra during the annual Indra Jatra celebration in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 17, 2024. Indra Jatra, a festival dedicated to the lord of rain according to Hindu beliefs, is marked in Nepal with fervor and gaiety. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra (fifth month) according to the lunar calendar is Indra Jatra, which has been observed for a long time. Legends say that the Indra Jatra festival celebrates 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#11581649

18 September 2024

Devotees direct a masked dancer resembling an elephant, locally called Pulukisi, a means of transport for the Hindu rain god Indra during the annual Indra Jatra celebration in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 17, 2024. Indra Jatra, a festival dedicated to the lord of rain according to Hindu beliefs, is marked in Nepal with fervor and gaiety. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra (fifth month) according to the lunar calendar is Indra Jatra, which has been observed for a long time. Legends say that the Indra Jatra festival celebrates 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#11579919

16 September 2024

A Nepalese mask dancer known as Pullu Kishi (white elephant) is pictured during the second day of the Indra Jatra festival at the premises of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 16, 2024. The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most revered festivals of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley.

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#11579920

16 September 2024

A Nepalese mask dancer known as Pullu Kishi (white elephant) is pictured during the second day of the Indra Jatra festival at the premises of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 16, 2024. The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most revered festivals of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley.

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#11579921

16 September 2024

A Nepalese mask dancer known as Pullu Kishi (white elephant) is pictured during the second day of the Indra Jatra festival at the premises of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 16, 2024. The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most revered festivals of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley.

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#11579922

16 September 2024

A Nepalese mask dancer known as Pullu Kishi (white elephant) is pictured during the second day of the Indra Jatra festival at the premises of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 16, 2024. The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most revered festivals of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley.

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#11579923

16 September 2024

A Nepalese mask dancer known as Pullu Kishi (white elephant) is pictured during the second day of the Indra Jatra festival at the premises of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 16, 2024. The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most revered festivals of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley.

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#11579924

16 September 2024

A Nepalese mask dancer known as Pullu Kishi (white elephant) is pictured during the second day of the Indra Jatra festival at the premises of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 16, 2024. The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most revered festivals of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley.

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#11530548

31 August 2024

A tribal man walks along a primitive road cutting through a protected and off-limits forest area in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, on May 15, 2022. The forest is located near Anju Veedu Village, a small tribal village in Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills, and is not accessible to outsiders without special permission.

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#11530550

31 August 2024

A talisman to protect from the evil eye is placed by a tribal villager's home in a protected and off-limits reserve forest area in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, on May 15, 2022. The forest is located near Anju Veedu Village, a small tribal village in Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills, and is not accessible to outsiders without special permission.

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#11530554

31 August 2024

A sign stands in a protected and off-limits forest reserve area in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, on May 15, 2022. The forest is located near Anju Veedu Village, a small tribal village in Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills, and is not accessible to outsiders without special permission.

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#11530573

31 August 2024

A primitive road cuts through a protected and off-limits forest area in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, on May 15, 2022. The forest is located near Anju Veedu Village, a small tribal village in Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills, and is not accessible to outsiders without special permission.

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#11530589

31 August 2024

Sholai village school is located in a protected and off-limits forest area in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, on May 15, 2022. The forest is near the Anju Veedu Village, a small tribal village in Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills, and is not accessible to outsiders without special permission.

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#11530595

31 August 2024

A river cuts through a protected and off-limits forest area in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, on May 15, 2022. The forest is located near Anju Veedu Village, a small tribal village in Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills, and is not accessible to outsiders without special permission.

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