Photo: Shadow Ayush, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Indra Jatra is Kathmandu's biggest street festival. It runs for about eight days around the full moon of Yanla, the Newar month that matches late Bhadra and early Ashwin. In 2026 (2083 BS) the main day fell on Ashwin 9, Friday, September 25, a public holiday in the Kathmandu Valley. The dates for every year are on our holidays calendar.
The festival has three main parts. A tall wooden pole called the yosin is raised in front of the old palace at Basantapur. Masked dancers perform in the streets after dark. The Kumari, the living goddess, is pulled through the old city on a gilded chariot.
The story behind Indra Jatra
Indra, king of the gods and god of rain, came down to the valley dressed as a farmhand to pick parijat flowers for his mother. Local people caught him picking the flowers and, not knowing who he was, tied him up like a thief. His mother came looking for him. When people learned whom they had tied up, they made a deal: they would release Indra, and in return he would send morning fog through the winter to ripen the harvest and give a place of honour to those who had died that year.
The festival repeats this story. Images of Indra tied up with his arms spread are put on display around the old city. Butter lamps are lit for people who died during the year, and their families walk a procession route through the lanes.
The yosin pole
Indra Jatra starts with the raising of the yosin. The pole is cut from a single tree in the forest near Nala, brought to Kathmandu with traditional rites, and pulled upright with ropes in front of the Hanuman Dhoka palace. A flag of Indra is tied to the top. Raising the pole opens the festival, and lowering it eight days later closes it. Both events draw very large crowds, and many people come just to watch dozens of men haul the long pole up with ropes.
Kumari Jatra: the Kumari's chariot procession
Kumari Jatra is held during Indra Jatra. Jaya Prakash Malla, the last Malla king of Kathmandu, added it in the eighteenth century. On three evenings the Kumari, the young girl worshipped as the living form of the goddess Taleju, leaves her house and is pulled through the city on a tall gilded chariot. Two boys dressed as Ganesh and Bhairav ride in their own chariots with her.
Each of the three evenings covers a different part of the old city: the southern part, the northern part and the centre. For most people this is the only time they see the Kumari outside her window, so the streets along the route are packed. By tradition the head of state receives tika from the Kumari during the festival. In the past this was the king; now it is the president.
Masked dances and the Bhairav masks
After dark the dancers take over the streets:
Lakhey: a demon with a red mane and fangs who is believed to protect children. He runs through the crowds to the beat of drums.
Pulukisi: a white cloth elephant with several men inside. It rushes through the lanes looking for its lost master, Indra.
Devi dances and Dasavatar: masked dances performed on raised platforms. Dasavatar shows the ten avatars of Vishnu.
At Hanuman Dhoka in Durbar Square, the large gilded mask of Swet Bhairav, kept behind a wooden lattice screen for the rest of the year, is fully opened for the festival. The head of Akash Bhairav is put on display at Indra Chowk. At set times rice beer flows from a pipe in Swet Bhairav's mouth, and people push forward to catch a mouthful, which is taken as a blessing.
Practical tips for visiting Indra Jatra
Where: the busiest area runs from Basantapur through Indra Chowk to Asan.
When: arrive in the late afternoon, watch a chariot procession at dusk, and stay for the Lakhey after dark.
Crowds: the chariot evenings are the busiest. Keep valuables zipped away and keep children close or on your shoulders.
Seats: rooftop café seats along the route fill up early, so go early if you want one.
Dates: Indra Jatra follows the lunar calendar, so its AD date changes every year. The daily panchang shows the tithis, and the holidays page shows the confirmed date.
Indra Jatra is the last big festival in Kathmandu before Dashain. Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain, follows soon after the yosin pole is lowered, so many families start Dashain shopping and travel plans at this time.