Bisket Jatra:
New Year officially commences.
As soon as the lingo is down,
men get together to pull a huge
and ponderous chariot carrying
the images of lord Bhairav and
goddess Bhadrakali in another tug-
of-war event.
Newari culture. On the second day
of the New Year, the people of the
town exhibit a Sindoor Jatra (or
Balkumari Yatra).
Sindoor Jatra is, perhaps, one of
the most spectacular colour and
musical festival that happens
around the city.
More than 32
palanquins are
carried by the
men on their
shoulders,
followed by their
own
musical
bands
and
processions.
The participants
throw vermillion
(a
blood-red
Skanda Gautam
or
A Splash Of Faith powder
Kathmandu, Nepal
Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 35mm F/2.8 1/400s ISO100
sindoor)
and
other
colours
Pulling the chariot is, perhaps, at each other to manifest their
The
processions
the main highlights of the event happiness.
and one of the most exciting and then finally converge near the
small space in front of the town’s
exhilarating parts of the fest.
Balkumari Temple for the final
The chariot is paraded through the ceremony.
streets of the city for the duration
of the festival. A mas sive tug- Mashal Jatra
of-war between the eastern and On the very day when the lingo
western residents of town creates is pulled down in the city of
a highly competitive atmosphere, Bhaktapur, another ritual called
for the winning side is considered Mashal Jatra commences in the
blessed with good luck and fortune town of Thimi to provide a truly
for the following year. To keep in enthralling experience to the
sync with the ancient traditions of
the event, one of the important part
of these rituals is also the sacrifice
of animals, birds and snakes for
the puja and family feasts. Large
number of devotees gather around
the city to perform this ritual.
devotees. Mashal Jatra event is
celebrated late in the night at around
11:00 PM when one resident from
each house of the town comes with
Mashals (or fire torches) in their
hand to gather at a specific spot in
the central Thimi. Thereafter, they
all proceed to rally around the town
and move down the valley towards
the Mahalaxmi temple to worship
the goddess. Thereupon, they carry
a huge statue of the goddess on a
chariot towards the Central Thimi
with their fire torches.
In Bode, another village in
Bhaktapur District, the New Year
celebrations are starkly different,
by virtue of a tongue-piercing ritual.
On the second day of the Nepalese
New Year, a local farmer spends a
whole day with iron spike piercing in
his tongue and roams different part
of the city by carrying multiple fire
torch on his shoulder.
New year festivals in Nepal are not
only associated with deep-rooted
religious faiths and traditions, but
are also aligned to unite the people
and bring a great dose of excitement
and lasting memories.
Sindoor Jatra at Thimi
(Balkumari yatra)
Thimi, an ancient Newari town
located 10 Km east of the capital,
Kathmandu, has its own spectacular
way of celebrating this festival. It is
one of the few townships where
one can experience a genuine
Apratim Saha
Kolkata, India
The Mashal Jatra
Canon EOS 5D MarkIII 16mm F/2.8 1/80s ISO12800
11