Langtang & Manaslu · Nuwakot
Sindure Jatra of Nuwakot
सिन्दुरे जात्रा
Nuwakot's spring festival for the goddess Bhairavi, also called Bhairavi Jatra. Wooden yosin poles go up at the goddess temples, the dhami priests lead processions to the Taleju temple, and everyone ends up red with sindur powder.
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The Bhairavi temple stands about 200 m south of the seven-storey palace on the Nuwakot ridge. Its goddess, also called Gandaki Bhairavi after the Trishuli Gandaki river below, is the protector of the old fort town, and her festival is the biggest event of the Nuwakot year. Locals call it Sindure Jatra for the vermilion powder (sindur) that covers the crowd, and also Bhairavi Jatra. It runs over several weeks in spring, with the main days in April.
The festival is formally opened when a tall wooden pole, the yosin, is raised in front of the temples of Bhairavi and Budhi Bhairavi, and it closes when the pole is lowered again. In between come processions: the male and female dhami who serve the goddess, children representing Ganesh and Kumar, guthi members who fund and run the rituals, and musicians, all walking from the Bhairavi temple to the Taleju Bhawani temple on the hill and smearing each other with sindur on the way. The temple's dhami is a hereditary role; by custom he may not cross the Trishuli or Tadi rivers without the king's permission.
For a visitor, the best plan is to stay a night in Nuwakot during the main procession days, watch from the palace square and expect to be dusted with red. Dates follow the lunar calendar and local guthi decisions, so we confirm them each year with people in Nuwakot; check current status before you travel.
Tips
- Wear clothes you do not mind staining; sindur is hard to wash out of light cotton.
- Put your camera in a zip bag between shots, as powder gets into lenses.
- Stay overnight in Nuwakot rather than driving back the same day, so you catch the morning rituals.
Questions
When is Sindure Jatra in Nuwakot?
It is a spring festival in the Nepali months of Chaitra and Baisakh. In 2024 it began in early April, the yosin pole was raised on 22 April and the festival closed in early May. Dates move with the lunar calendar and are fixed locally each year, so check current status before you travel and ask us to confirm the main procession days.
What is the yosin pole at Nuwakot's festival?
The yosin is a tall wooden pole raised in front of the Bhairavi and Budhi Bhairavi temples. Its raising marks the official start of the festival and its lowering marks the end. Pole-raising is an old feature of Newar festivals in the Kathmandu Valley as well, for example at Bhaktapur's Bisket Jatra, and reflects the Newar roots of Nuwakot's temple town.
Can tourists take part in Sindure Jatra?
Yes. It is a public festival in the streets and temple squares, and visitors are welcome to watch the processions and will likely be dabbed with sindur. Do not enter the inner shrine of the Bhairavi temple, follow your guide's lead about where to stand, and ask before photographing the dhami during rituals.
How do we get to Nuwakot for the festival?
Nuwakot is about 75 km from Kathmandu by road via Kakani and Bidur, normally 3 to 3.5 hours by private car. Bidur and the Trishuli valley floor were damaged by the flood of 26 August 2026, so road works may add time; check current status before you travel. We suggest one or two nights at The Famous Farm or a local guesthouse on the ridge.