Rato Macchindranath Jatra is among the longest running chariot festival in Nepal. The festival is dedicated to valley's rain god and is held in Patan. A special chariot is made of bamboo and wood by the local people and the idol is placed inside the chariot and the chariot is pulled by the devotees to different paces of Patan. Rato Machindranath Jatra is been celebrated since 640-683 AD when Narendra Deva was king of Lalitpur. He started this Jatra as the celebration after the end of a destructive drought. And Since then, the Jatra is being celebrated each year in Lalitpur and is the one of the biggest jatra of the country. Jatra begins with construction the 60-foot tall chariot ('Rath' in Nepali) and after the completion of the Construction, Rath is taken to various places of Lalitpur before ending the Jatra. The jatra ends with Bhoto Jatra held in Jawalakhel, in which the bejeweled vest(Bhoto) of rain's god is displayed.
Charles Bailey had chance to capture following awesome pictures of the Jatra during 1970s. Check them out below:
Charles Bailey had chance to capture following awesome pictures of the Jatra during 1970s. Check them out below:
0 Comments