Devotees carry the chariot of living god Bhairabh during the annual Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, September 19, 2021. The feast of Indra Jatra marks the return of the festival season in the Himalayan nation two years after it was scaled down because the pandemic. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
Devotees play traditional drums during the annual Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, September 19, 2021. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
Nepal’s revered living goddess Kumari is carried to be taken around in a wooden chariot during the annual Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, September 19, 2021. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
Masked dancers perform during the annual Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, September 19, 2021. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
A former living goddess Kumari, center, watches Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, September 19, 2021.Tens of thousands of devotees packed the old palace courtyard in the heart of Nepal’s capital to celebrate Indra Jatra festival Sunday which marks the start of the festival season in the Himalayan nation. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
A boy gets his face painted before performing in a play during the Indra Jatra Hindu festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu on September 22, 2021. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)
Devotees drink wine from a statue of Shwet Bhairav (god of protection) during the Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu on September 21, 2021. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)
A visitor smokes marijuana at “Hippie Hill”, a retreat in the mountains surrounding Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, September 30, 2021. Widely available marijuana once drew thousands of hippies to Nepal, where its use was not only accepted but embedded in both the culture and religion.But the country followed other nations in outlawing marijuana in the late 1970s and chased away the hippies who came on buses from Europe and United States. Half a century later, campaigners are seeking to again legalize the farming, use and export of marijuana as more countries allow its medicinal and recreational use. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
Anisha Prajapati, in a mask costume, playfully takes a swing at Sajani Shrestha, in a coronavirus-themed disguise, in front of a group of kids at a bus station, to spread awareness of mask-wearing, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as people head to their villages for Dashain, the biggest religious festival for Hindus in Nepal, in Kathmandu, Nepal October 7, 2021. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)
A person adjusts a clay mask while preparing to take part in a deity’s procession during the Shikali festival at Khokana, in Lalitpur, Nepal, October 12, 2021. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)
A Hindu devotee dressed as a deity (C) participates during celebrations for the Shikali Jatra festival at Khokana village, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on October 12, 2021. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)
A group of elderly devotees wearing religious attire wait to perform a traditional dance during the Seekaali Festival in Khokana, near Kathmandu, Nepal, 12 October 2021. The centuries old Seekaali festival is celebrated by the Newar community of Khokana as an alternative to Dashain festival, the largest festival for Nepalese Hindus, which celebrates the victory of gods over demons. During the seekaali festival elderly ethnic Newari devotees wear masks of 14 various goddess including Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Lord Laxmi, Lord Brahma and Lord Bishnu. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)
A Nepalese woman rides a swing set up as part of festivities for Dashain in Dhulikhel, outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Dashain, the most important religious festival of Nepal’s Hindus, commemorates the victory of the gods over demons. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
A Nepalese woman rides a swing set up as part of festivities for Dashain in Dhulikhel, outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Dashain, the most important religious festival of Nepal’s Hindus, commemorates the victory of the gods over demons. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
A Nepalese Hindu devotees prostrates on the ground to pray outside a temple as a part of a ritual during the tenth day of Dashain Hindu Festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Friday, October 15, 2021. 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)
Nepalese devotees worship during Dashain Festival celebrations at the Baramahini Temple in Bhaktapur, Nepal, 15 October 2021. During the 15-day Dashain Festival, Nepalese Hindu devotees worship Durga, a mother goddess of power and prosperity, offering animal sacrifices, especially goats and buffalo. In general, the Dashain Hindu festival is a celebration of the victory of the gods over demons and the victory of good over evil. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)
A man lies still as devotees light oil lamps over his body as part of rituals to celebrate the tenth and final day of Dashain festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Friday, October 15, 2021. 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)
A member of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) participates in a peaceful protest against the recent violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and to demand protection of minorities outside Bangladeshi embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, October 20, 2021. Hindu temples were attacked and homes of Hindus were burned in Bangladesh since last Wednesday after a photo was posted on social media showing a copy of Islamic holy book, the Quran, at the feet of a statue at a Hindu temple. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
People wade past a flooded area in Dipayal Silgadhi, Nepal, Thursday, October 21, 2021. Floods and landslides triggered by days of torrential rains have killed at least 99 people in Nepal since Monday, officials said. (Photo by Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi/AP Photo)
A man crosses a bridge over a rising Seti River in Dipayal Silgadhi, Nepal, Thursday, October 21, 2021. (Photo by Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi/AP Photo)
