The story
Seto Machindranath Jatra in Kathmandu
Seto Machindranath Jatra, also called Jana Baha Dyah Jatra, is a three-day chariot procession through Kathmandu honoring Seto Machindranath, a rain-bringing form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Established formally in the 17th century under King Pratap Malla, the towering chariot travels from Jana Baha through Durbar Marg, Jamal, Asan and Kathmandu Durbar Square before circling back to its home temple.
Kathmandu's two Machindranath chariot festivals, the white Seto Machindranath in the city itself and the red Rato Machindranath in neighboring Lalitpur, are often explained together because they share a root figure understood differently across Hindu and Buddhist tradition.