BHAKTAPUR, April 10: Bisket Jatra, a renowned annual event celebrated by the residents of Bhaktapur, begins Wednesday. Some of the participants will pull the chariot of Bhairabnath from Bhaktapur Municipality-5, Taumadhi to mark the beginning of this event.

Every year, Bisket Jatra starts four days before the Nepali New Year and is celebrated in a grand manner for nine days and eight nights. Thousands of participants pull the chariot from two sides. The five-storeys temple of the district is considered as the mid-section of Bhaktapur.

Hari Prasad Subedi, chief of -based Guthi Sansthan informed Republica that all necessary preparations have been made for the festival.

Cultural expert and historian Dr Purushottam Shrestha says in the middle age, locals of Bhaktapur celebrated this as a national festival. However, it was limited to a local festival as Bhaktapur lost its political and administrative powers. Even today, thousands of people from Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchowk among others throng Bhaktapur to observe this jatra.

April 18 will be the last day of the jatra. Pulling the chariot with the 55 feet long lingo is the main attraction of this event.

 
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