KATHMANDU, Sep 17 : Nepal on Tuesday celebrated the Indra Jatra, one of Kathmandu’s most vibrant festivals, with thousands of people pulling a wooden chariot of a young girl revered as a living goddess around the main thoroughfare of the capital.
The Indra Jatra festival is celebrated by the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley mainly to have good harvest, good fortune and sufficient rain. The festival marks the end of the monsoon.
President Ram Chandra Paudel attended the festival at Basantapur Durbar Square. He reached the Gaddibaithak, Hanuman Dhoka and received blessings from the living goddess. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and other dignitaries were also present.
The chariot of living goddess Kumari, Ganesh and Bhairav was taken around the streets of the city amidst thousands of cheering people.
The festival features dance by masked people and the lighting of traditional lamps.
The Hindu festival, which begins with the setting up of a wooden pole, known as lingo, at Basantapur, lasts for eight days. (PTI)
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