Nepal marks Indra Jatra with much fervour

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu on Friday to mark the Indra Jatra festival with much fervor and gaiety.

The eight-day festival, known as Yenya in Nepalese, is celebrated to honour Indra, the king of heaven and god of rain and harvest, as per the Hindu mythology.

The worship commences with the erection of a sacred wooden pole "Lingo" at the premises Kathmandu Durbar Square. The fourth day of the festival, called Kwaneya, witnesses singing and mask dancing.

Kwaneya is considered as the main day of festival and witnesses a large crowd pulling a chariot Living Goddess Kumari through the southern part of the town.

However, a minor scuffle broke out between police and the youth during the celebrations when the crowd refused to make way for the motorcade of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

The tension settled down after the motorcade agreed to take a different route, making Bhandari walk a few meters to reach the main hall to attend the function.