Traditional Music and Youths

A group of youths from Bhawan Bahal preforming traditional music 'Dhimey' at Basantapur, Kathmandu on Tuesday 23 Oct 2012.

Butter lamps for Seto Machindranath

The Seto (white) Machindranath, resides at Ason, Kathmandu 31 March 2012. Hindu and Buddist devotees from the ethnic Newar community offering butter lamps to Seto Machindranath.

Every year Seto Machindranath Rath Jatra on Chaitra Sukla Aastami Machindranath is carried up to Jamal Tindhara in the small chariot to put in the big chariot which is then pulled around core city of Kathmandu like Ason, Hanumandhoka, Jaisideval ,Lagan. The first day chariot is pulled up to Ason , in next day up to HamumanDhoka and in third day it will reach Lagan where it is pulled around the tree(Maa Seema) and the temple of mother of Seto Machindranath then after one two days Seto Machindranata is carried back to its temple at Jana Bahal in small Chariot. The Jatra continue till Purinima.

Marijuana Madness

There are many crazy aspects of Maha Shiva Ratri festival in kathmandu and on that very day devotees and non-devotees (especially youths) freely indulge in smoking intoxicating substances such as marijuana and bhang. Smoking marijuana is not legal but that day one can feel it's legal. Many youths take these intoxicants in the belief that it pleases Lord Shiva for he too is said to be fond of it. Thus marijuana is taken as prasad, holy food blessed by the Gods. Likewise many eager tourists flocks around the temple complex of the Ram Janaki Mandir across the Bagmati river opposite to the main temple complex of Pashupatinath lingering around sadhus and babas in the hope for some prasad from them.

Samyak Mahadan at Nagbahal

Samyak Mahadan at Nagbahal Feb 25, 2012. The Mahadan Festival is celebrated once in five years. More than a hundred statues of Dipankaras, and incarnation of Buddha, and other Duddhist gods and goddesses are paraded through the streets of Patan to mark the festival.

Shivratri and Sadhu at Pashupatinath

Sadhus: Hindu holy men flock to Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu during Mahashivratri festival. Hindus across the world are celebrating Mahashivratri, or Shiva's night festival believed to be the day when Shiva got married. Here's some photos I have captured at Pashupatinath Temple this morning.