"temple return"

#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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#12816596

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816598

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816599

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816601

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816604

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816606

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816607

1 October 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in queue waiting for their turn to enter the Taleju Bhawani Temple on the day of Maha-Nawami in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12816608

1 October 2025

A Nepali Hindu devotee offers oil-fed lamps to the Taleju Bhawani on the ninth day of the fortnightly festival of Dashain at Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 1, 2025. Taleju Bhawani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on Phulpati day (Monday) and is returned to the main temple on the morning of Bijaya Dashami (October 2). Traditionally falling on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the Nepali month of Asoj according to the lunar calendar, Maha Nawami is marked in the month of October this year. Devotees perform special rituals in honor of Goddess Durga, offering jamara--germinated barley seeds sown on the festival's first day--at various temples and shrines. Additional offerings are also made as part of the celebrations. On Maha Ashtami night, a traditional sacrifice of 54 goats and 54 cows takes place at the main square. It is also on this night that the Kalratri Puja is performed using tantric rituals, symbolizing a prayer for power to govern the state.

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#12683375

28 August 2025

Fasting Nepali Hindu women walk through the muddy path on their return from the Rishi temple after performing rituals in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 28, 2025. Rishi Panchami is celebrated to mark the conclusion of the Teej festival. The festival is observed primarily by women who have reached menstruation age, as a day of purification and devotion. Fasting and worship are performed to honor the Sapta Rishis--the seven revered sages in Hindu mythology--with the belief that doing so absolves them of any sins believed to have been committed during their menstrual cycles. On this day, devotees wake up early and bathe in nearby rivers, ponds, streams, or lakes as part of the ritual. They cleanse their bodies using 365 stems of Apamarga (a medicinal plant), as well as cow dung, sacred soil, and ash. The fasting ritual involves a morning bath followed by prayer. Devotees then eat a single meal consisting of grains, wild fruits, kandamul (edible roots), vegetables, and guava before resuming their fast.

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#12598014

29 July 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees stand in a queue waiting for their turn to worship and make offerings to the serpent deity on the day of Naag Panchami at Naag Pokhari in Kathmandu, Nepal, on July 29, 2025. The fifth day of the bright half-moon of the Shrawan month, as per the lunar calendar, is regarded as Naag Panchami, a day dedicated to serpent deities. People flock to nearby ponds and Naag temples to worship the serpentine deity, marking the start of the festive season in the Himalayan nation. The festival of Naag Panchami is also regarded as a festival to strengthen the bond between humans and nature. On this particular day, farmers do not dig or plough the field; instead, they worship the deity by making idols from the mud of their fields. The serpentine deity is also regarded as the god of water and rain, and according to religious belief, the house where the Naag deity resides is bestowed with wealth and prosperity. According to belief, the age-old tradition of observing the festival started when a farmer in ancient times ploughed the field on the day of Naag Panchami and a family of serpents was killed. The serpent then promised not to spare any of the family members of that farmer after his entire family was killed. The farmer had only a daughter who was also married off; the serpent then went to the girl's house to take revenge and saw the daughter worshipping the serpent deity. The snake, who lost its family, returned, blessing the girl.

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