Nepal’s biggest chariot festival in Kathmandu started officially in the Valley on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. The chariot entered the main city square as part of the procession. Thousands of women made their way to the roads of the city square to pull the chariot. This gesture formed a part of the Seto Macchindranath Jatra.
The Jatra is part of the 3-day festival held in honour of the god of rain. The three days event started when the chariot of Seto Machindranath pulled from Teendhara Pathsala in front of the former Royal Palace. The festival is also known as Jana Baha Dyah Jatra. The festival organizing committee member, Nanira Maharjan, also discussed the event with the media.
Meanwhile, She explained that thousands of women had taken the initiative to pull the chariot of Seto Macchindranath Jatra since 2017. They have offered these services voluntarily to the Baha Dyah Jatra organizing community. Accordingly, The people of Kathmandu consider Seto Macchindranath as the god of rain. The people of the Valley celebrate the rain god ahead of the harvest season. The community believes that with this festival, they will have plenty of rainfall, and famine will stay at bay.
The community believes that the chariot festival helps bring a good harvest to the community. The festival also helps in driving away illness from the district. The event features a large number of women who push the chariot as a part of the procession. The procession of the Seto Macchindranath Jatra lasts for three days and features thousands of attendants.
The authorities can not ascertain the exact number of women who attended the procession. However, the festival’s organizing committee asserted that at least 200 women were in the chariot procession. The chariot of Seto Machindranath towers high in the Kathmandu valley in Nepal. It is one of the biggest chariot festivals in the country.
