"Rato Machhindranath Jatra"

#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.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#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.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#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.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#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.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#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.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#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.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12436851

2 June 2025

The aerial view shows Hindu devotees welcome the god Rato Machindranath with a barley straw fire during the Bhoto Jatra festival in Bungmati, Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12436852

2 June 2025

The aerial view shows Hindu devotees welcome the god Rato Machindranath with a barley straw fire during the Bhoto Jatra festival in Bungmati, Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434113

1 June 2025

The idol of Lord Rato Machhindranath is installed in a newly built temple in Bungmati, Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025, after completing the Bhoto Jatra procession. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath is observed for at least a month to four months and ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machhindranath started around 1,300 years ago. According to legend, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one has succeeded in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434119

1 June 2025

An elderly woman performs rituals in front of the Rato Machhindranath chariot ahead of the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath is observed for at least one to four months and ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath started around 1,300 years ago. According to legend, shortly after the procession started, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak developed an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistook a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brought him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one has succeeded in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434121

1 June 2025

An elderly woman performs rituals in front of the Rato Machhindranath chariot ahead of the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath is observed for at least one to four months and ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath started around 1,300 years ago. According to legend, shortly after the procession started, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak developed an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistook a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brought him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one has succeeded in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434133

1 June 2025

A member of the Rato Machhindranath Trust displays the jewel-studded vest, locally called Bhoto, during the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath, observed for at least a month to four months, ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath starts around 1,300 years ago. As the legend goes, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one succeeds in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434135

1 June 2025

A member of the Rato Machhindranath Trust displays the jewel-studded vest, locally called Bhoto, during the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath, observed for at least a month to four months, ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath starts around 1,300 years ago. As the legend goes, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one succeeds in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434136

1 June 2025

A member of the Rato Machhindranath Trust displays the jewel-studded vest, locally called Bhoto, during the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath, observed for at least a month to four months, ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath starts around 1,300 years ago. As the legend goes, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one succeeds in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434156

1 June 2025

The idol of Lord Rato Machhindranath is pictured during a procession of the homecoming of the god after completing the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath is observed for at least a month to four months and ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath started around 1,300 years ago. According to legend, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one has succeeded in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.

#12434163

1 June 2025

The idol of Lord Rato Machhindranath is pictured during a procession of the homecoming of the god after completing the Bhoto Jatra procession in Lalitpur, Nepal, on June 1, 2025. The chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath is observed for at least a month to four months and ends with the showing of the 'Bhoto,' expecting the rightful owner to come and claim it. Historians claim that the chariot procession of Machindranath started around 1,300 years ago. According to legend, shortly after the procession starts, the queen of the serpent king Karkotak develops an eye ailment. While searching for a healer, Karkotak mistakes a farmer working in the fields for a physician and brings him to Taudaha, a wetland on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Frightened, the farmer prays to Machhindranath and rubs his hands on the soil to make an herbal paste. He offers it to Karkotak as medicine, and the paste cures the queen's eyes. Grateful, Karkotak rewards the farmer with a jewel-studded vest (bhoto) and returns him to the human world. The farmer begins wearing the bhoto while working in his fields. One day, a ghost in human form steals the vest. The farmer searches everywhere but cannot find it. Later, while attending the Machhindranath chariot festival, he sees the ghost wearing the same vest and claims it as his. When the ghost refuses to return it, a dispute breaks out. People summon Karkotak to resolve the conflict. In the end, because neither party can prove ownership, they entrust the bhoto to Machhindranath. Since then, devotees follow the tradition of displaying the bhoto after the chariot procession, hoping that someone with valid proof of ownership will come forward. Each year, they display the sacred vest on an auspicious date. According to legend, no one has succeeded in proving ownership of the bhoto so far.

Restricted to Editorial Use Only.
Commercial use is not permitted without prior authorization.
Please contact us for more information.