Friends and Family- We hope you are well. The festival season is beginning to kick off here in Kathmandu and around Nepal. Yesterday we attended festivities to mark the beginning of Indrajatra. We went to Durbar Square with thousands of people to watch the raising of a huge wooden post, we saw the Kumari chariot being readied, and we watched people preparing extensive food offerings to the God of Heaven.
Yesterday was also an auspicious day for the Newari community. We attended three communal meals in a "community center" type place for the extended Manandhar community members (several hundred people). At dusk, we went on a 3 hour stroll all over Kathmandu with thousands of other people. The route that was laid out follows the old border of Kathmandu when it was a country in itself during the Malla Kings reign. We placed butter lights every 5 feet or so on the ground to light a path for Sudhir's Hajurama (grandmother) to reach heaven. Anyone who has lost a family member in the past year walks with family and friends. It was overwhelmingly beautiful to see so many people coming together and walking the same route for hours, lighting candles and building a path for their loved ones. The children in the street were delighted with the "parade" of people and candles. Families came out of their houses to stand on the street and sit on their stoops and watch the procession. Bands from different Newari groups played drums, trumpets, clarinets, and cymbals to lead their community groups. It was a wonderful event to participate in. The gregarious nature of the Newari community was evident in the ceremony.

Dahlia in Sudhir's mother's garden


Chariot for the Kumari, living goddess.
A Kumari is a young girl (pre-adolescent) who is chosen
as a reincarnate goddess to participate in ceremonies
until she is about 13 years old, at which time, she returns to
relatively normal life and another Kumari is chosen.
There is also a belief that whoever marries a Kumari will
suffer from bad luck, so she usually remains unmarried.
Yesterday marked the beginning
of Indrajatra Festival which celebrates the God of Heaven.
This year is the 250th anniversary of Indrajatra, so it should
be an exciting few days of festival.

This is the courtyard of the house
where the Kumari lives.


The lights on the netting decorate the Kumari's
window. She will look out from this window
on the last day of the festival to greet the crowds.

Cows mingling with pigeons in Durbar Square.

Seto Bhairabh in Durbar Square.
This statue is being repainted and unveiled
for the Indrajatra Festival. On the last day,
a hose will be placed behind the
statue coming out of her mouth
and people will drink rice beer as an offering from her.

Kalo Bhairabh in Durbar Square.
The crowd is anxiously awaiting the
event that will signify the kick-off of the festival.



A beautiful "baccah" (pronounced bacha)
overwhelmed by the crowd.

After hours of coordination efforts, the
"linga" was raised. Bands played, dancers performed,
officers shot blanks from their rifles, and the crowd cheered.

Flowers on the terrace.

A framed photo from our wedding
last year. The grass garland that we exchanged
to signify our union as husband and wife
is framed around the photo.


In other exciting news, we have finally booked our trip to Tibet. We leave on Saturday, September 29 and return to Kathmandu on October 9th. We will be going overland in a four-wheel drive truck on the winding routes through the Himalayas to Lhasa, which is often referred to as the "rooftop of the world" because it is a high plateau sitting in the mountains. We will visit small villages and monasteries along the way and see Potala Palace and other sights in Lhasa, then we will take a 2 night trip from Lhasa to the surrounding areas, hopefully to see Namtso Lake. We are very excited for the trip. It will undoubtedly be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Stay tuned for more pics!! Love Sudhir and Rachel