"ritualistic performance"

#12801683

27 September 2025

Deities in human form put on ritual attire before performing in the annual Shikali Jatra in Khokana, Nepal, on September 27, 2025. Masked dancers in the form of various Hindu deities take flights on air as they tour around the temple of Shikali. This is an age-old tradition celebrated in Khokana as a substitution for the fortnightly festival of Dashain. Khokana, a medieval Newari heritage village in the southern Kathmandu Valley, observes Shikali Jatra for five days, dedicating it to the goddess Shikali, who is also known as Ajima or Mother Goddess. Gods and goddesses in human form take flights as they tour around the Sikali temple, which is located on a grassy hill just outside the village. The festival starts with Goddess Rudrayani or Shikali being carried in a wooden chariot throughout the village and rested in front of the temple in Khokana, along with various religious copper vessels. The Jatra witnesses Tantric rituals along with masked dances garbed in colorful attire, representing 14 gods and goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon. Priests clad in white robes, along with 14 masked deities, come together to perform dances. It is believed that the goddess protects the town from misfortunes and prevents calamities. It is also regarded as an occasion for the farmers to rejoice in the post-harvest season. The dances shown during the Jatra are based on various religious beliefs and perceptions.

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#12726951

7 September 2025

A Sidakarya Mask dancer performs during the 20th Pujawali ceremony at Parahyangan Agung Jagatkartta in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

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#12726952

7 September 2025

A Sidakarya Mask dancer performs during the 20th Pujawali ceremony at Parahyangan Agung Jagatkartta in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

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#12726953

7 September 2025

A Sidakarya Mask dancer performs during the 20th Pujawali ceremony at Parahyangan Agung Jagatkartta in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

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#12712953

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712954

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712955

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712956

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712957

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712960

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712961

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712962

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712963

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12712964

4 September 2025

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance during the erection of a sacred pole locally called ''Ya:Shi,'' marking the formal start of Indra Jatra, a fair dedicated to the Hindu God of Rain, Lord Indra, in the premises of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basantapur Durbar Square, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 4, 2025.

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#12627111

9 August 2025

Nepali novice priests take part in a ritualistic bath at an Ashram in the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025, while observing the festival of Janai Purnima, the festival of sacred threads observed in Nepal and India. Janai Purnima is the festival of threads with ritualistic bathing and tying the sacred thread ''Rakshya Bandhan'' on the wrist and ''Janai'' across the body by Hindu devotees. According to the scriptures, the sacred thread worn across the body of Hindu devotees is believed to have emerged from the Yagya, a sacrificial rite or performance of duty. A person who wears this sacred thread is full of energy, and this thread has two parts, each containing three threads: the first is Bramha, the second is Bishnu, and the third is Lord Shiva. These are the symbols of knowledge, meditation, and power. On the other side is nature, which is also considered the female companions of males: Saraswati of Bramha, Laxmi of Bishnu, and Parbati of Shiva. Those who do not wear Janai reach the nearby religious site and receive the 'Raksha Bandhan' thread, which is tied around the wrist as an amulet. The yellow thread is purified through the chanting of mantras by Brahmin priests as a symbol of protection from fear and disease. This sacred thread is made through the combination of 27 different types of threads. In astrology, there are 27 types of constellations, and the name of every human being is believed to be recorded in these constellations. This thread is tied around the wrist following the folklore about King Bali. Bali earns more virtue, which threatens the throne of King Indra. Then, after Bramha ties the thread around the wrist, it is followed since then in remembrance of Lord Bali.

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#12627112

9 August 2025

Nepali novice priests take part in a ritualistic bath at an Ashram in the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025, while observing the festival of Janai Purnima, the festival of sacred threads observed in Nepal and India. Janai Purnima is the festival of threads with ritualistic bathing and tying the sacred thread ''Rakshya Bandhan'' on the wrist and ''Janai'' across the body by Hindu devotees. According to the scriptures, the sacred thread worn across the body of Hindu devotees is believed to have emerged from the Yagya, a sacrificial rite or performance of duty. A person who wears this sacred thread is full of energy, and this thread has two parts, each containing three threads: the first is Bramha, the second is Bishnu, and the third is Lord Shiva. These are the symbols of knowledge, meditation, and power. On the other side is nature, which is also considered the female companions of males: Saraswati of Bramha, Laxmi of Bishnu, and Parbati of Shiva. Those who do not wear Janai reach the nearby religious site and receive the 'Raksha Bandhan' thread, which is tied around the wrist as an amulet. The yellow thread is purified through the chanting of mantras by Brahmin priests as a symbol of protection from fear and disease. This sacred thread is made through the combination of 27 different types of threads. In astrology, there are 27 types of constellations, and the name of every human being is believed to be recorded in these constellations. This thread is tied around the wrist following the folklore about King Bali. Bali earns more virtue, which threatens the throne of King Indra. Then, after Bramha ties the thread around the wrist, it is followed since then in remembrance of Lord Bali.

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