Indra Jatra

Indra Jatra is the great festival of Kathmandu's Newar community, held over eight days in September and centred on the old durbar square, where a tall wooden pole is raised to mark its start. Its most famous element is the chariot procession of the Kumari, the living goddess, a young girl selected from a particular caste who lives in a house on the square and is pulled through the old streets on a tall wooden chariot alongside chariots for the boys who represent Ganesh and Bhairav, with crowds pressing in to see her. Around it run masked lakhey dances in the alleys, drummers, the display of a great mask of Bhairav from which rice beer flows through a spout to the crowd, and processions of costumed figures late into the night. It is chaotic, packed, unpolished and one of the most extraordinary living festivals in Asia.

What you actually see

• The Kumari's chariot - the living goddess pulled through the old city.
• The lakhey dancers - the masked demon dancers in the alleys.
• The Bhairav mask - the great mask displayed with rice beer flowing from it.
• The pole raising - the ceremony in the durbar square that opens the festival.

When to go

The festival falls in September, with dates set by the lunar calendar and published a few months ahead. The chariot procession days are the busiest and most spectacular. Book accommodation in the old city early, and arrive well before processions start to find any kind of vantage point.

Honest expectations

The crowds are enormous and the old streets are narrow, so the crush is real and pickpocketing is a risk in it; go with hands free and nothing in back pockets. Processions run to their own time and can start hours later than announced, so patience is essential. It is a religious festival first, so photographing the Kumari and the rituals should be done with restraint and never with flash.

Nearby

Kathmandu's durbar square, Swayambhunath and Patan are all in the valley.