Indra Jatra Concludes in Kathmandu as Women Lead Final Chariot Pull

Kathmandu’s eight-day celebration of Indra Jatra formally concluded on Tuesday night after the ceremonial pole was lowered and taken to the Bagmati River for ritual immersion, following a vibrant chariot procession pulled exclusively by women.

The closing day of the historic festival featured the processions of the Living Goddess Sri Kumari, Sri Ganesh, and Sri Bhairav traversing the historic quarters of central Kathmandu, Onlinekhabar reported. Under the ritual known as Nanicha Ya, female devotees exclusively pulled the three wooden chariots, steering them from Basantapur through Nardevi, Bhedasingh, Kilagal, Indrachowk, and Makhan before returning to the palace square. The route carries historical significance dating to the Rana regime, when then-Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher instituted a third day of chariot pulling so that his partner Nanicha, a resident of Kilagal, could witness the chariot procession from her own neighborhood, according to Onlinekhabar.

Earlier in the festival, top state leadership attended the central celebrations at the heart of the capital. Nagarik News reported that President Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal, and the acting prime minister observed the proceedings from Basantapur Dabali on Friday. Dignitaries and thousands of onlookers gathered to witness cultural tableaus, traditional masked dances, and the first rounds of chariot processions carrying Kumari, Ganesh, and Bhairav, the outlet reported.

The annual festival, known in the Newar community as Yenya, initially got underway with the erection of a ceremonial wooden pole, known as the Ya:sin, near the Kaal Bhairav temple at Hanumandhoka. Each evening during the festivities, crowds collected at the open pavilion beneath the monumental mask of Sweta Bhairav to receive offerings of samaybaji and jaand, a traditional fermented brew poured through a pipe fitted to the deity's mouth.

Onlinekhabar noted that the sixth day of Indra Jatra has developed into a special occasion for women, who have established a growing presence in recent years by gathering to taste the prasad and taking charge of pulling Kumari’s chariot during Nanicha Ya. According to the news outlet, devotees believe that consuming the fermented liquor sanctified by Sweta Bhairav helps cure diseases and promotes physical well-being.

The festival concluded late Tuesday once the chariots completed their circuit. Traditional handlers dismantled the flag-bearing pole, hauling the timber to the Bagmati River for immersion to mark the formal end of the valley's premier autumn festival.