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)





A young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari checks a mobile phone as she waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A woman cleans the face of a young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari as she waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Living god Ganesh is carried on a chariot during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, September 28, 2023. According to a local myth, the god of rain Indra once disguised himself as a human to collect night jasmine for his mother but was captured by locals. In exchange for his release, it was agreed that the rain would be stopped and the souls of those departed in that year ascend to heaven. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A young Hindu devotee with face paint waits to perform in a play during 'Indra Jatra' festival at the Durbar Square in Kathmandu on September 30, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





A mask dancer locally known as “Lakhey” performs on the last day of the “Indra Jatra” festival in Kathmandu, on October 2, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





Women pull a chariot during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, October 2, 2023. According to a local myth, the god of rain Indra once disguised himself as a human to collect night jasmine for his mother but was captured by locals. In exchange for his release, it was agreed that the rain would be stopped and the souls of those departed in that year ascend to heaven.(Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A devotee drinks wine as an offering for Sweta Bhairav, the god of protection, on the last day of the 'Indra Jatra' festival at Durbar Square in Kathmandu on October 2, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





Students light candles in Patan Durbar Square, Lalitpur, Nepal, as they pay tribute to Nepali nationals who lost their lives in the fighting in Israel, Monday, October 9, 2023. Ten Nepali nationals have been killed in fighting in Israel and at least one more is missing, Nepal's Foreign Ministry said. An unknown number of others were wounded in the violence, it added. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Nepalese artist Ravi Kumar Pandit puts final touches on an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga, the mother of Power and Prosperity, for the upcoming Dashain festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, 12 October 2023. The Durga idol is widely worshipped by Nepalese people during the Dashain festival which will start on 15 October 2023. Dashain commemorates a victory of the gods over the wicked demons and is considered the longest and the most auspicious festival. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)





A boy sways on a swing traditionally called the “Dashain Ping” on the occasion of the Nepali Hindu festival “Dashain” near the Changu Narayan temple in Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on October 22, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





A child gives flowers to Hindu devotees at the Mahalaxmi temple of Bode on the ninth day of Dashain festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, 23 October 2023. During the 15-day-long Dashain festival, Nepalese devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga, offering animal sacrifices, such as chicken, goats and buffalos. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)





A man breaks a coconut as he performs Hindu rituals for his vehicle on the ninth day of Dashain festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, October 23, 2023. The festival commemorates the slaying of a demon king by Hindu goddess Durga, marking the victory of good over evil. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Young devotees carry oil lamps in the early morning of the tenth day celebrations of Hindu Nepali festival “Dashain” at a temple in Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on October 24, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





A man looks at damaged houses in the aftermath of an earthquake at Jajarkot district on November 4, 2023. At least 132 people were killed in an overnight earthquake of 5.6-magnitude that struck a remote pocket of Nepal, officials said on November 4, as security forces rushed to assist with rescue efforts. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





Residents sleep while keeping their door open after an earthquake at Jajarkot, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, November 4, 2023. A strong earthquake has shaken northwestern Nepal, and officials say more than 100 people are dead and dozens more injured as rescuers search mountain villages. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





An earthquake victim receives treatment at Bheri hospital in Nepalgunj, Nepal, Saturday, November 4, 2023. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Residents sleep in the open after an earthquake at Jajarkot, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, November 4, 2023. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





People walk through ruins of houses in the aftermath of an earthquake at Jajarkot district on November 4, 2023. At least 132 people were killed in an overnight earthquake of 5.6-magnitude that struck a remote pocket of Nepal, officials said on November 4, as security forces rushed to assist with rescue efforts. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)