{"id":1726,"date":"2022-09-09T06:31:38","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T06:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alphaadventuretreks.com\/blog\/?p=1726"},"modified":"2022-09-09T06:31:42","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T06:31:42","slug":"indra-jatra-in-kathmandu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alphaadventuretreks.com\/blog\/indra-jatra-in-kathmandu\/","title":{"rendered":"Indra Jatra in Kathmandu"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2b50<\/span>\u2b50<\/span>\u2b50<\/span>\u2b50<\/span>\u2b50<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span>\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span>\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span>\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span>\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\n\n\t\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span>Rating: 5 out of 5.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

One of the most thrilling and revered celebrations of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley<\/a> is the eight-day long Indra Jatra festival, which takes place in September. This also heralds the start of the month-long autumn festival season. A wooden pole constructed of pine is first built at Basantapur Square in front of the former Hanuman Dhoka Palace.Hundreds of onlookers assemble in the Palace Square and on the nearby temples for the pole-raising event.Through Kathmandu’s main streets, the chariot of Kumari, the Living Goddess, is paraded.Nearly every evening, masked dancers known as Lakhay perform in the streets to the accompaniment of loud drums.The celebration honors the day when Indra descended from heaven in human form to search for a herb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Indra Jatra, oil wicks are used to illuminate the shrines and historic palace structures near Kathmandu Durbar Square. On the platform in front of the Living Goddess temple, a performance symbolizing Lord Vishnu’s ten terrestrial incarnations is performed every night. At Indra Chowk, the enormous representation of Akash Bhairab’s head is placed on public display in front of his temple. Ecstatic crowds congregate near Hanuman Dhoka Palace in the afternoon of the day before the full moon to see the long-awaited Living Goddess’ chariot procession and catch a glimpse of the revered young Newar girl who has been deified as Kumari, or Goddess Taleju, in person. People congregate in the tiny alleyways of the old Kathmandu to witness and pay reverence as the chariot of the Kumari is pulled by two other, smaller chariots pulling a representative of Ganesh and Bhairav. The lowering of the (lingam) pole holding Indra’s flag during religious rituals marks the conclusion of the Indra Jatra celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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