Parade of Living Goddess Launches Nepal’s Festival Season
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Tens of thousands of devotees filled the historic Durbar Square in Kathmandu on Saturday as Nepal began its monthslong festival season with the Indra Jatra, a centuries-old celebration that honors Hindu gods and marks the end of the monsoon.
At the heart of the festival was the appearance of Trishna Shakya, 8, Nepal’s current Kumari or living goddess. Dressed in red silk with a painted golden third eye, she was carried from her palace temple into a wooden chariot adorned with marigolds. Pulled through Kathmandu’s narrow streets by throngs of devotees, the Kumari offered blessings to worshippers, including Nepal’s president, prime minister, and senior officials.
The Indra Jatra festival features masked dancers representing gods and demons, traditional music, feasts, and rituals honoring the dead. It is especially significant for the Newar community, indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley, but it draws participants from across Nepal’s Hindu and Buddhist populations.
The weeklong event is also seen as the curtain-raiser for Nepal’s major festival calendar, which includes Dasain later this month and Tihar (Diwali) in October.
The Kumari tradition, unique to Nepal, selects a young girl from a Buddhist Newar family to serve as a living goddess until puberty. She lives in the Kumari Ghar palace, leaving only for festivals and always carried so her feet do not touch the ground. Devotees believe receiving her blessing ensures prosperity, health, and protection.
Beyond its religious importance, Indra Jatra also signals the completion of rice farming season and celebrates the arrival of autumn. For many, the event blends spirituality, agriculture, and community in a way that defines Nepal’s cultural identity.
Tourists and locals alike crowded Kathmandu’s old palace square to witness the spectacle, capturing photos of the child goddess as masked dancers performed. For Nepal, the festival remains a vivid symbol of continuity, uniting ancient tradition with modern national life.
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