Tens of thousands celebrate Indra Jatra in Nepal

Tens of thousands of devotees packed the old palace courtyard in the heart of Nepal's capital on Sunday to celebrate the feast of Indra Jatra, marking the return of the festival season in the Himalayan nation after it was scaled down because of the pandemic.

The weeklong Indra Jatra precedes months of other festivals in the predominantly Hindu nation.  Kumari, a young girl who is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal as the living goddess, left her temple palace for the first time in two years and was driven around the centre of Kathmandu in a wooden chariot pulled by devotees. 

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and the nation's highest officials also lined up to receive her blessing, together with the tens of thousands of others along the short route from her temple palace and around the heart of the city.