"Nepali priests"

#13028878

26 November 2025

Priests carry the idol of the deity Rato Machhindranath from Bungamati Temple to Ta Bahal Temple in Patan, Nepal, on November 26, 2025, as per ritual tradition. The god alternates between the two temples every six months. After the conclusion of the Rato Machhindranath Jatra, the deity always returns to Bungamati. This year is particularly significant, as after 10 years, the deity is reinstated in its originally built temple in Bungamati.

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#13028879

26 November 2025

Priests carry the idol of the deity Rato Machhindranath from Bungamati Temple to Ta Bahal Temple in Patan, Nepal, on November 26, 2025, as per ritual tradition. The god alternates between the two temples every six months. After the conclusion of the Rato Machhindranath Jatra, the deity always returns to Bungamati. This year is particularly significant, as after 10 years, the deity is reinstated in its originally built temple in Bungamati.

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#13028880

26 November 2025

Priests carry the idol of the deity Rato Machhindranath from Bungamati Temple to Ta Bahal Temple in Patan, Nepal, on November 26, 2025, as per ritual tradition. The god alternates between the two temples every six months. After the conclusion of the Rato Machhindranath Jatra, the deity always returns to Bungamati. This year is particularly significant, as after 10 years, the deity is reinstated in its originally built temple in Bungamati.

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#13028881

26 November 2025

Priests carry the idol of the deity Rato Machhindranath from Bungamati Temple to Ta Bahal Temple in Patan, Nepal, on November 26, 2025, as per ritual tradition. The god alternates between the two temples every six months. After the conclusion of the Rato Machhindranath Jatra, the deity always returns to Bungamati. This year is particularly significant, as after 10 years, the deity is reinstated in its originally built temple in Bungamati.

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#13028882

26 November 2025

Priests carry the idol of the deity Rato Machhindranath from Bungamati Temple to Ta Bahal Temple in Patan, Nepal, on November 26, 2025, as per ritual tradition. The god alternates between the two temples every six months. After the conclusion of the Rato Machhindranath Jatra, the deity always returns to Bungamati. This year is particularly significant, as after 10 years, the deity is reinstated in its originally built temple in Bungamati.

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#13028883

26 November 2025

Priests carry the idol of the deity Rato Machhindranath from Bungamati Temple to Ta Bahal Temple in Patan, Nepal, on November 26, 2025, as per ritual tradition. The god alternates between the two temples every six months. After the conclusion of the Rato Machhindranath Jatra, the deity always returns to Bungamati. This year is particularly significant, as after 10 years, the deity is reinstated in its originally built temple in Bungamati.

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#12816747

1 October 2025

Hindu priests chant mantras and offer flowers and incense while performing rituals before sacrificing a goat during Maha Nawami at Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025, honoring Goddess Durga and the triumph of good over evil.

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#12816751

1 October 2025

Hindu priests chant mantras and offer flowers and incense while performing rituals before sacrificing a goat during Maha Nawami at Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025, honoring Goddess Durga and the triumph of good over evil.

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#12816758

1 October 2025

GRAPHIC CONTENT: Nepalese Army personnel drag a sacrificed goat across Kathmandu Durbar Square during Maha Nawami in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025, following age-old Hindu rituals performed by priests and the army.

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#12816764

1 October 2025

A Nepalese Army personnel drags a sacrificed goat across Kathmandu Durbar Square during Maha Nawami in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025, following age-old Hindu rituals performed by priests and the army.

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#12816765

1 October 2025

A Nepalese Army personnel drags a sacrificed goat across Kathmandu Durbar Square during Maha Nawami in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025, following age-old Hindu rituals performed by priests and the army.

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#12814323

30 September 2025

Former Royal Living Goddess Trishna Shakya is seen inside her palanquin as she is carried from the historic Kumari Ghar to her family home in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. The ceremonial farewell features traditional music, rituals, and processions marking the conclusion of her tenure upon reaching puberty. Revered as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, she remains an important figure in centuries-old Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Her successor, Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is formally enthroned at Kumari Ghar on the auspicious day of Asthami.

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#12814329

30 September 2025

Former Royal Living Goddess Trishna Shakya is seen inside her palanquin as she is carried from the historic Kumari Ghar to her family home in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. The ceremonial farewell features traditional music, rituals, and processions marking the conclusion of her tenure upon reaching puberty. Revered as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, she remains an important figure in centuries-old Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Her successor, Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is formally enthroned at Kumari Ghar on the auspicious day of Asthami.

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#12812651

30 September 2025

Newly appointed Royal Living Goddess Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is carried from her private house towards the historic Kumari Ghar at Hanumandhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. She succeeds Trishna Shakya, who retires upon reaching puberty and is bid farewell with traditional music and rituals. The Royal Kumari, regarded as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, is selected exclusively from the Shakya clan of Kathmandu's 16 bahals through an elaborate process involving the Panchang Committee, Taleju's chief priest, astrologers, and Guthi representatives. A Kumari must embody 32 physical and spiritual perfections, show fearlessness, and bear no bodily marks or flaws. Once enthroned, she lives a highly restricted and sacred life--no longer attending school or playing outside, as such acts are considered ritually impure. Worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists, the Royal Kumari embodies Nepal's centuries-old tradition, symbolizing divine purity, cultural heritage, and continuity of ancient rituals.

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#12812652

30 September 2025

Newly appointed Royal Living Goddess Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is carried from her private house towards the historic Kumari Ghar at Hanumandhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. She succeeds Trishna Shakya, who retires upon reaching puberty and is bid farewell with traditional music and rituals. The Royal Kumari, regarded as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, is selected exclusively from the Shakya clan of Kathmandu's 16 bahals through an elaborate process involving the Panchang Committee, Taleju's chief priest, astrologers, and Guthi representatives. A Kumari must embody 32 physical and spiritual perfections, show fearlessness, and bear no bodily marks or flaws. Once enthroned, she lives a highly restricted and sacred life--no longer attending school or playing outside, as such acts are considered ritually impure. Worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists, the Royal Kumari embodies Nepal's centuries-old tradition, symbolizing divine purity, cultural heritage, and continuity of ancient rituals.

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#12812654

30 September 2025

Newly appointed Royal Living Goddess Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is carried from her private house towards the historic Kumari Ghar at Hanumandhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. She succeeds Trishna Shakya, who retires upon reaching puberty and is bid farewell with traditional music and rituals. The Royal Kumari, regarded as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, is selected exclusively from the Shakya clan of Kathmandu's 16 bahals through an elaborate process involving the Panchang Committee, Taleju's chief priest, astrologers, and Guthi representatives. A Kumari must embody 32 physical and spiritual perfections, show fearlessness, and bear no bodily marks or flaws. Once enthroned, she lives a highly restricted and sacred life--no longer attending school or playing outside, as such acts are considered ritually impure. Worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists, the Royal Kumari embodies Nepal's centuries-old tradition, symbolizing divine purity, cultural heritage, and continuity of ancient rituals.

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