INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU: Indra Jatra, one of the highly celebrated festivals of Kathmandu Valley, is being marked with much enthusiasm today.
The
festival, known as Yenya in Nepal Bhasa, is celebrated to honour Indra, the king of heaven and god of rain and harvest, as per the Hindu
Indra Jatra represents the culture, history and legends of Kathmandu Valley.
The eight-day festival began on September 10 by erecting a
ceremonial pole — Indradhoj Linga or Ya-Sin — at Hanuman Dhoka in Basantapur Durbar Square.
Today is Kwaneyā, the first day of the
chariot procession of the Living Goddess Kumari
Regarded as the main day of the festival, chariots carrying Kumari, Ganesh and Bhairav are pulled through the southern part of the town
A large crowd gathers at Basantapur today to pay their reverence to the living goddess and to cheer in the festivities.
Heads of the state
also visit Hanuman Dhoka to pay their respect to the gods and goddesses
Similarly, today, family members of the deceased who passed away in the last one year light small butter lamps and incense along the
In the night, after Kumari returns back from the procession, another procession called Dāgin beings.
Likewise, tomorrow chariot
procession is called Thaneyā while the day after that is known as Nānichāyā.
The final day of the festival falls on
September 17 this year when the Ya-Sin pole erected at Hanuman Dhoka will be taken down in a ceremony known as Ya-Sin Kwathalegu.
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Indra Jatra being marked today with much fervour appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
