By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Sept. 13: Guthi Sansthan, the Indra Jatra Management Committee and 29 Guthi Khala have started the preparation works for the famous Indra Jatra festival.
The committees have already started maintenance works of three chariots--Ganesh, Kumari and Bhairav.

Gautam Shakya, president of the Indra Jatra Festival Management Committee, said that the festival would be celebrated this year by following all the health protocols, like the previous year.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will provide Rs. 23 million through a one door system to make preparations and celebrate the annual festival of the Kathmandu Valley.
The KMC has not allocated separate budget to the committees even though preparation works for the festival have already begun, said Shakya.

Works to prepare various sweets to be offered to the living Goddess Kumari and Gods Ganesha and Bhairav have started at Kumari Ghar since Saturday.
According to Hari Prasad Subedi, chief of Kathmandu Guthi Sansthan, the Sansthan has decided to provide Rs. 1 million for the celebration of the festival. The allocated budget will be utilised to make and repair the chariots. The budget will also be used to bring the logs required for making the chariots.

The long log, which is used to pull the chariot of Kumari, will be changed this year.
The Sansthan has purchased two long logs required for erecting Indradhojan (pole) at a cost of Rs. 330,000.

Sandeep Khanal, executive director of Hanumandhoka Durbar Museum Development Committee, said that a decision was made to provide Rs. 5,000 to each 15 dancers of the dancing group to encourage them to preserve the intangible heritage culture.

Apart from chariot pulling, budget will be spent for more than a dozen masked dancers (Lakhe). Dangi, Majipap Lakhe, Pulikishi and other cultural street dances are performed annually during the festival.
Other open activities like Indradhojan, displaying Aakash Bhairav at Indrachowk, Indra Maharaj at Marutole, Kilagal and Bhairav will also be performed.

However, considering the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, especially in the Kathmandu Valley, the concerned authorities of Indra Jatra Management Committee had decided to limit the celebration of festival only by worshipping the gods and goddesses at their respected places.

Heads of the State and government and other high ranked government officials will also observe the Indra Jatra festival, said Shakya.
He further said that the three-day circumambulating of Ganesh, Bhairav, and Kumari will begin from their respective chariots through different routes of Kathmandu from the first day of the Indra Jatra.
The main festival of Indra Jatra falls on September 19 this year.