Photo Essays
2 MIN READ
The painstaking work needed to get the Rato Machindranath on the road has already been done. But the festival will only take place once the government and Lalitpur’s locals agree on the jatra date
The rains have already come this year. But the god who brings the rains has remained stuck in Pulchowk. In most years, the Rato Machindranath chariot would have already done the rounds of Lalitpur by the seventh month of the Nepali lunar calendar. But this year, although the chariot has been built and the artisans have readied the chariot for the Rato Machindranath festival, the god still remains stuck in stasis. The people of Lalitpur would like to pull the chariot, but the government is worried about large throngs of people congregating in the middle of the Covid crisis. The festival date has been postponed twice already. There is now talk that the chariot will finally trundle through Lalitpur’s streets on the first day of Bhadau.
In this photo feature, I document the tireless work done by Lalitpur’s artisans in getting Machindranath ready to shower this town with blessings--blessings we so desperately need.
:::::::::::
Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi Photographer Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi has been documenting the Kathmandu Valley for over 15 years.
Features
5 min read
Women from the indigenous Sardar community have long been making mats and vases out of water hyacinth but now, they’re also learning sustainable dyeing methods.
Features
6 min read
When it comes to climate change, Global media attention has stayed on island nations but the Himalaya have their own unique vulnerabilities.
Perspectives
12 min read
Covid-19 has highlighted the potential benefits of small-scale family farming
Features
6 min read
Despite the economy being badly hit since last year, the country’s stock market is seeing exponential growth owing to the market’s digitization and the pandemic, analysts say.
Features
5 min read
Nepal is shrouded in smoke and pollution from wildfires with air quality levels at ‘hazardous’ for the past three days.
Perspectives
COVID19
5 min read
A Nepali-American doctor in the US who has gotten vaccinated presents his thoughts on what Nepalis can expect from the vaccines that could be available here
Features
COVID19
6 min read
The popular tourist destination of Ghandruk was hit hard by the pandemic but locals first turned to farming and then to domestic travelers to survive.
COVID19
Interviews
5 min read
A Nepali doctor speaks about tending to Covid patients in a New York hospital