Bisket Jatra is Bhaktapur's New Year chariot festival, nine days of pulling towering wooden chariots carrying the fierce deity Akash Bhairav and the goddess Bhadrakali through the city's narrow streets. Upper and lower Bhaktapur haul the Bhairav chariot in a tug-of-war before a tall pole is raised and toppled at Yosinkhel to mark the new year.
In Bhaktapur, the ancient Newar city east of Kathmandu, the new year does not arrive quietly.
Bisket Jatra fuses New Year renewal with a dramatic show of civic rivalry: crowds from Bhaktapur's upper and lower neighborhoods each try to drag the towering Bhairav chariot toward their own quarter, sometimes for hours, until the chariots are hauled together and made to collide in a ritual test of strength locally called the meeting of the chariots
Days later a tall wooden pole, the lingo or yahsin, is hoisted upright at Yosinkhel and ceremonially felled at midnight to mark the New Year moment
Rooted in the Malla-era cult of Akash Bhairav and layered with a serpent legend giving the festival its name, Bisket Jatra is one of the few Newar jatras where the crowd becomes a participant rather than a spectator
The festival centers on Akash Bhairav
a fierce tantric form of Shiva worshipped as Bhaktapur's protector deity
paired with the goddess Bhadrakali
A Newar oral tradition tells of a princess whose husbands died each wedding night from a serpent in her nostrils
until one prince stayed awake and slew the snakes
giving the festival its name (bis
The chariot pull and pole-raising are read as reenactments of that victory and as agrarian rites welcoming the new year and the coming planting season
Dates TBA · Usually April
Use Bhaktapur transport around the venue or route first; event-day controls can change normal timing.
Casual, sturdy walking clothes and closed-toe shoes suited to standing for hours on uneven brick lanes; no special dress is required for onlookers, but modest clothing covering shoulders and...
Keep photography restrained at Bisket Jatra; give people room and treat community moments as more than scenery.
Stay near workable transport in Bhaktapur, especially if the event runs late or streets close.
Check official or local sources for ticketed areas, paid stands, and same-year access rules.
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Bisket Jatra is listed for Past edition: 14–17 April 2026. Always re-check the official or local source close to travel.
The festival is listed in Bhaktapur, Nepal. The map coordinate is a planning reference, not a guarantee of a ticket gate or exact venue.
4 days is the listed festival span. Add time for arrival, local transport, queues, and any route changes during the event.
Official source linked. Eventisimus separates source confidence from travel suggestions, so check final details before booking.
Bhaktapur, Bagmati Province, Nepal
Medium: 50000
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