Rato Machindranath Jatra

The Rato Machhendranath Jatra (or Bunga Dyah Jatra) is Nepal’s longest and oldest chariot festival, celebrated for over 1,400 years in Patan to honor the deity of rain and compassion. Every spring, thousands of devotees manually drag a towering, 60-foot wooden chariot—built entirely without nails—through ancient streets to ensure a prosperous monsoon. Replaying a legendary 12-year drought broken by the deity's arrival, this month-long Newari heritage celebration features high-energy micro-rituals like the coconut drop at Lagankhel and concludes with the public display of a jewel-encrusted vest during Bhoto Jatra.