The legend says that around the 7th century there was massive drought in the Kathmandu valley. It was believed that the arrival of the red deity would end the drought and bring back the rainfall. Hence then King Narendra Dev along with a priest and farmer travelled to what is now the Assam state in India and brought back Karunamaya, the god of compassion. It is popularly now known as Rato Machindranath.
The Ghode Jatra festival, an annual horse festival, is celebrated in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, March 27, 2017. According to legend, the festival is held to celebrate the victory over a demon named Tundi and people believe that the clamor of horses’ hooves during the festival keeps the demon’s spirit away.
Nepalese Hindu devotees participated in a mass bathing ritual during the month-long Swasthani Festival in Changu Narayan at Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on February 8, 2017. Hundreds of married and unmarried women in the Himalayan nation are marking the month-long fast in the hope of a prosperous life and conjugal happiness.
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The Boudhanath Stupa reopened Tuesday following its renovation for earthquake damage. Boudhanath Stupa was among hundreds of historic monuments damaged during the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit Nepal in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people. More →
The Chhath Puja Festival is one of the most important festivals in the northern Indian states, and sees people worshiping the Sun god on the banks of rivers or small ponds, and praying for the longevity and health of their spouse. During Chhath, an ancient Hindu festival, rituals are performed to thank the Sun God for sustaining life on earth.
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According to the World Bank, agriculture is the main source of food, income, and employment for the majority of people in Nepal.
Nepalese Hindu devotees celebrate the Shikali Jatra festival at the Shikali Temple in the village of Khokana, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on October 7, 2016.
Local villagers, who normally do not celebrate the country’s most famous festival of Dashain, celebrate the Shikali Jatra each year.
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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.
The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus fasting and offering prayers in a night-long vigil.
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