Bhaktapur – Nepal

In the Nepalese Himalayas, in the Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur is one of the three royal centers; it has a population of about 40,000. The valley's original occupants, the Newars, developed a distinctive urban culture over nearly two millennia that preserved a pre-industrial way of life until the middle of the 20th century. The city's festivals punctuate the calendar in such a way that the city becomes a stage for a lot of civic performances. Together, supernatural beings and people participate in these rituals to maintain the flow of time and space. Ten occasions are picked from among the various festivals that take place each year. Of these, the New Year's festival (Biskejatra), the Farewell to the Dead (Gaijatra), and the Victory of the goddess Durga (Dasain), which take place in October, have major significance for the community. Additionally, throughout the course of nine months, the Navadurg Deities' ritual leaves a mark on the urban environment's spatial and temporal integrity.