Devotees wear masks and costumes on the occasion of “Neku Mataya Jatra” or the “Festival of Lights” in Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on September 1, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





Ready to deliver idol of Hindu God Vishwokarma is seen at a workshop for upcoming festival of Vishwokarma Pooja in Lalitpur of Nepal on September 10, 2023. As per Hindu mythologies Vishwakarma, designer of all the flying chariots of the gods and goddesses also has designed and made weapons for them. In Mahabharata, the world's biggest epic, he is described as “The lord of the arts, executor of a thousand handicrafts, the carpenter of gods, most eminent of artisans, the fashioner of all ornaments and a great and immortal god”. (Photo by Subash Shrestha/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





A devotee, cloaked inside the statue of Buddha, parades during the Pancha Dan (giving away of five elements) festival at Bhaktapur Durbar Square in Bhaktapur, Nepal on September 12, 2023. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Rice is thrown as an offering on an idol of Buddha during the Pancha Dan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Pancha Dan, the festival of five summer gifts, is a day when devotees donate five commodities they consider essential for their well being, which are unhusked paddy, rice grains, pulses, salt and money. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A devotee prays as she watches a parade carrying idols of Buddha during the Pancha Dan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Tuesday, September 12, 2023y. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A devotee, cloaked inside the statue of Buddha, parades during the Pancha Dan (giving away of five elements) festival at Bhaktapur Durbar Square in Bhaktapur, Nepal on September 12, 2023. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Devotees light oil lamps during Kuse Aunsi festival at the Gokarneshwor Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, September 14, 2023. Kuse Aunsi is a festival of Nepal where fathers, living or dead, are honored. Children with living fathers show their appreciation by giving presents and sweets and those whose fathers are deceased pay tributes at the Gokarneshwar temple. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Nepalese Hindu devotees perform rituals for their deceased fathers on the banks of the Bagmati river during 'Kuse Aunsi' at the Gokarneshwor Temple,Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, September 14, 2023. Kuse Aunsi is a festival of Nepal where fathers, living or dead, are honored. Children with living fathers show their appreciation by giving presents and sweets and those whose fathers are deceased pay tributes at the Gokarneshwar temple. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A devotee poses for a photograph holding a portrait of her late father after performing rituals on the banks of the Bagmati river during “Kuse Aunsi” at the Gokarneshwor Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, September 14, 2023. Kuse Aunsi is a festival of Nepal where fathers, living or dead, are honored. Children with living fathers show their appreciation by giving presents and sweets and those whose fathers are deceased pay tributes at the Gokarneshwar temple. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Women dance during Teej festival at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, September 18, 2023. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Women sing and dance at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Teej festival in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 18, 2023. (Photo by Monika Malla/Reuters)





Women gather as they offer prayers at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Teej festival in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 18, 2023. (Photo by Monika Malla/Reuters)





Teachers from across the country gather for a protest against an education bill in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, September 22, 2023. Schools for millions of students in Nepal were closed Friday as tens of thousands of teachers protested in the capital against an education reform bill in parliament. The teachers oppose provisions that would shift government-run schools to local control, saying it would lower their status, and that would scrap many temporary teacher positions. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Hindu devotees clean a statue of deity Swet Bhairav on the first day of the “Indra Jatra” festival held in honour of the god Indra, the king of heaven, in Kathmandu on September 26, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





A girl dressed as a living goddess “Kumari” poses for a photograph before taking part in the “Kumari Puja” rituals at the Hanuman Dhoka at Durbar Square in Kathmandu on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





Young girls dressed as living goddess Kumari wait for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Young girls dressed as the Living Goddess Kumari look through the window of a temple as they pose for a photograph during the Kumari Puja, in which young girls pose as the Living Goddess Kumari and are worshipped by people in the belief that their children will remain healthy, in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A Nepalese girl in traditional attire takes part in Kumari Puja, a mass worship ceremony for preteen girls, in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 27, 2023. In Nepal, Kumari Puja is the tradition of selecting a Kumari, usually a preadolescent girl, to worship symbolically as a goddess. More than hundred girls under the age of nine from across the country gathered for the mass worship. Performing Kumari Puja for three continuous years is believed to protect the girls from diseases throughout their entire life. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)





Nepalese girl Prakti Shakya, 8 years old, is made up by her elder brother prior to attending Kumari Puja, a mass worship ceremony for preteen girls, in Kathmandu, Nepal, 27 September 2023. In Nepal, Kumari Puja is the tradition of selecting a Kumari, usually a preadolescent girl, to worship symbolically as a goddess. More than hundred girls under the age of nine from across the country gathered for the mass worship. Performing Kumari Puja for three continuous years is believed to protect the girls from diseases throughout their entire life. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)





A young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari reacts to the camera as she waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)