What Photos to Click in Indra Jatra festival?
Nepal is a land of cultural diversity, owning an enormous number of festivals. Among such festivals, Jatras are the special ones. Major Jatras are observed in Kathmandu valley. Among the major Jatras of Nepal, Indra Jatra festival is an enticing one. In this blog, we will discuss details on Indra Jatra and what photos you can click on Indra Jatra.
Table of Contents
- What is Indra Jatra?
- Folklore linked to Indra Jatra
- What activities are done in Indra Jatra ?
- What photos to click during Indra Jatra?
- People carrying chariots and Pole
- Living Goddess Kumari
- Devotees, Offerings and food
- Dance performers
- Something unique in unique angles
- Why Buy Indra Jatra Pictures from ImagePasal?
What is Indra Jatra?
Indra Jatra is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Newari people of the Kathmandu valley, where Lord Indra, the King of Heaven and God of Rain, is thanked and honored for his blessings to the world. Also, the festival is marked to celebrate the arrival of the autumn season. Indra Jatra falls on September/Bhadra and is celebrated for eight days. Indra Jatra begins from Bhadra Dwadasi to Ashwin Krishna Chaturdasi. Indra Jatra in 2079/2022 is to be celebrated on 24th Bhadra i.e. 9th September, Friday.
Indra Jatra is an auspicious and special Jatra for devotees, especially farmers, as they thank lord Indra for the rain. Likewise, people also worship The God Bhairab-The destroyer of evil, Lord Ganesh – The God of new beginnings, and Kumari-The living goddess.
The history
King Gunakamadeva of the Lichchhavy Dynasty started the tradition of Indra Jatra to honor the establishment of Kathmandu city during the 10th century. Tracing back the history, Newars in Kantipur valley (present Kathmandu valley) called this Jatra as called Yenya Dey’ or ‘Yenya.’ Some Newar people still celebrate the Jatra as ‘Yenya’ or ‘Yenya Punhi’. In fact, Yenya Festival has two parts: Indra Jatra and Kumari Jatra.
Folklore linked with Indra Jatra
According to the legend, Once Dakini, mother of Lord Indra, needed Parijat (a white and orange flower) to perform a ritual. In search of Parijat, Lord Indra descended to the Earth (Kathmandu Valley) but got caught when taking flowers; the owner of the meadow captured him, claiming him as a thief.
Later, to prove his innocence, Dakini came and disclosed Indra’s identity. Later, the villagers agreed to let go of Indra under two conditions: One was to take those who had died in the last year back to heaven, and the other was to give enough dew during the winter. Also, Lord Indra agreed to descend to Earth every year during that very time and portray him as a prisoner for a week.
Thus, Indra Jatra is celebrated to thank lord Indra Jatra for timely rainfall, Dakini for good harvest, and for remembering the deceased family members.
What activities are done in Indra Jatra ?
- Displaying of a life-size statue of Lord Indra
Here, Lord Indra, with his hand tied up on a wooden platform, is displayed at Maru Tole of Kathmandu. - Dakini roaming around the street in search of her son Indra
A portrayal of Lord Indra’s mother, Dakini, moving around the street can be seen. Here, people of a special caste in the Newar community carry a Baumata, which is made of a long bamboo fixed with a series of clay dishes with wick lamps. - White Elephant going in search of his master
In Kishi-gaa( elephant stall), a place in old Kathmandu town, paint a white elephant on a mat, two men form an elephant and make rounds of town. This event is called Tana-kishi, which means the elephant moves around in search of Indra. - Chariot Pulling
Here, chariot pulling in honor of Living Goddess Kumari is done. - Exhibitions of Samay Baji offering
Samay Baji is also called a sacred food which consists of flattened rice, puffed rice, fried black soybeans, lentils, marinated boiled meat, dried fish fried in oil, ginger, boiled-fried eggs, fruits, and several other items, and Aaila (local wine). These all are kept on display during Indra Jatra. At the end of the day, the Samay Baji is distributed as blessed food (Prasad). - Erection of the Linga
The erection of the Yosin or Linga in Kathmandu Durbar Square (Basantapur) actually shows the commencement of Indra Jatra. This linga erection event is called “Yosin Thanegu” where people from Newar community gather wearing masks. People also share the local liquors and perform dances that represent gods and demons.
The devotees also light wick lamps on clay dishes in remembrance of their deceased family member, and this event is called ‘UpakuWangu.’
- Dances
Mask dances are the major attractions of the Indra Jatra. Some dances are: - Majipa Lakhey Dance, where Lakhey dances to the music and moves ahead in the procession.
- Pulu Kisi Dance, where Indra’s elephant roar and does some mischievous acts from time to time.
- Sawa Bakhhu Dance is performed by a dance group in Halchowk where Bhairab (in Blue attire) with a sword and two attendants (in Red).
- Devi Pykhan, where dancers wear the mask of different gods and goddesses. This dance is done for peace to people suffering from diarrhea.
- Drinking home-made liquor from Swet Bhairav’s mouth
We can also see men and women jostle to drink the homemade liquor from the mouth of the deity Swet Bhairav (Hatu Dyaa) as a blessing. Moreover, there is a women-only night at the Indra Jatra festival.
What photos to click during Indra Jatra Festival?
People carrying chariots and Pole
This is certainly an enthralling scene for people as everyone will be cheering. So, capturing the emotion of the people pulling/carrying chariots, people erecting the pole, and devotees around would be just amazing for your photo collection.
Living Goddess Kumari
Capturing candid pictures of Goddess Kumari during the procession to thank Indra will surely make your Indra Jatra photography session a great experience. While you can also capture devotees performing dances, singing songs, and playing various traditional musical instruments.
Devotees, Offerings and food
To capture the ecstasy, excitement, and experience of devotees either participating or just watching the festival or offering food(SamayBaji) or other items can be hard but worth it. You may have to be extremely careful as you can be amongst the crowd to capture the perfect shot.
Dance performers
As discussed above, numerous dances will be performed during Indra Jatra, so capturing those moves and portrayals will add to your collection.
Something unique in unique angles
Sometimes capturing your subject or any scene at a different angle enhances and brings new perspectives into the limelight. So, if possible, try to find something that is relevant and unique at the same time. This might get your Indra Jatra photos to get viral!!!
Why Buy Indra Jatra Pictures from ImagePasal?
ImagePasal is the First Image Stock company in Nepal where you can find high-quality pictures of various occasions or scenarios. Digital marketing agencies or content creators looking for Nepali pictures or even general pictures online can buy images from Imagepasal in an affordable range of Nepali Rupees. You don’t have to pay in dollars!
At ImagePasal, we have professional photographers who click high-quality photos, both general as well as unique type. We also have a collection of images of Indra Jatra. Also, our photographers will attain Indra Jatra 2079 and will soon upload their photos. You can check that out after the festival ends. So, if you want to buy pictures of Indra Jatra on the digital platform, then ImagaePasal is the best place to buy from.
Also, if you want to Buy a printed picture of Indra Jatra in various sizes, then you can get it from calendra.imagepasal.
Photo: Subash Shrestha
