On Friday, September 13th, the students of grade 10 went to visit Basantapur. It was primarily to observe Indra Jatra, which is the biggest religious street festival celebrated in Kathmandu. we left school at around 10 a.m. to go to the heart of Kathmandu, Basantapur. it holds a lot of cultural and historical significance for the people of Nepal.
The objective of this educational trip was to observe the overall festivities and the culture of the people of Kathmandu and gain more knowledge about our traditions and social norms. We were also briefed about myths related to why Indra Jatra was celebrated. This festival is celebrated annually by the locals of Kathmandu valley, in honour of the rain and harvest God, Indra according to the Hindu culture. In addition to Indra, three chariots are taken across Basantapur, of Kumari the living Goddess, Ganesh and Bhairav to show them respect.
I observed the chariots and it was handmade by the locals. The chariots attracted a lot of tourists as well. The magnificent structure was marvelled by the tourist as well as the locals. Basantapur itself hols lot of charm as the olden structure of Nepali architecture is seen, however after the devastating earthquake most renovations have caused the authentic structure to be built in modern ways. We should preserve this city of culture and religion as it is a part of our identity and who we are.
