Sep 16, 2016

Nepal’s week-long Indra Jatra festival celebrates “Indra,” the king of gods and the god of rain.

Every September, Nepal’s living goddess is carried on a palanquin in a religious procession through parts of the capital in a festival celebrated by Nepalese Hindus and Buddhists.

: Young Nepalese girls wearing traditional costumes wait for the Kumari puja to start at Hanuman Dhoka temple, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the Kumari puja, a tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: A Nepalese mother applies make up to her daughter dressed as the living goddess Kumari as they wait for Kumari puja to start at Hanuman Dhoka temple, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the Kumari puja, a tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: A young Nepalese girl wearing traditional attire plays with a vessel while waiting for the Kumari puja to start at Hanuman Dhoka temple, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the Kumari puja, a tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: Nepalese devotees prepare to erect a wooden pole in front of the ancient royal palace on the beginning of the week-long Indra Jatra festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: Nepalese devotees prepare to erect a wooden pole in front of the ancient royal palace on the beginning of the week-long Indra Jatra festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: Nepalese devotees erect a wooden pole in front of the ancient royal palace on the beginning of the week-long Indra Jatra festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: Nepalese devotees paint a statue of Hindu god Swet Bhairav during the beginning of the week-long Indra Jatra festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season.(AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: A Nepalese masked dancer performs the Sawa Bhaku dance during a chariot procession for the Kumari, revered in Nepal as a living goddess, during the fourth day of the Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu on September 16, 2016. Nepal’s week-long festival celebrates ‘Indra’, the king of gods and the god of rains. Every September, the living goddess is carried on a palanquin in a religious procession through parts of the capital in a festival celebrated by Nepalese Hindus and Buddhists. / (AFP Photo/Prakash Mathema)

: Young Nepalese artists perform during Indra Jatra Festival in Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: A Nepalese child revered as a living goddess, or Kumari, is carried during a procession held to honour the Kumari during the fourth day of the Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu on September 16, 2016. Nepal’s week-long festival celebrates ‘Indra’, the king of gods and the god of rains. Every September, the living goddess is carried on a palanquin in a religious procession through parts of the capital in a festival celebrated by Nepalese Hindus and Buddhists. / (AFP Photo/Prakash Mathema)

: Nepal’s living goddess, centre, is taken in a wooden chariot during the Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Sept.15, 2016. Selected as toddlers, living goddesses known locally as Kumaris are worshipped and they usually keep their positions until they reach puberty. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: Masked dancers prepare to perform a traditional dance during Indra Jatra Festival in Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. Indra is considered the Hindu god of rain and the festival marks the end of the rainy season. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

: Nepalese youth drink wine from a statue of Shwet Bhairav (god of protection) on the second day of the Indra Jatra Festival in Kathmandu on September 14, 2016. The eight-day festival celebrates Indra, the king of Gods and God of rains. Kumari, the living goddess, is also taken around parts of the capital city in a religious procession during the festival. / (AFP Photo/Prakash Mathema)

Dancing, parades and a ‘living goddess’ at Nepal’s largest religious festival

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