Rato Machhindranath Jatra
रातो मच्छिन्द्रनाथ जात्रा
April 18, 2026 – June 20, 2026 · Baishakh – Jestha, 2083 BS
Patan (Lalitpur)
Plan a trip around Rato Machhindranath JatraHistory & origin
Rato ('red') Machhindranath is worshipped as a deity who brings rain and a good harvest, blending Hindu and Buddhist tradition — he is identified both with a rain-bringing saint and with a form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Legend holds that a severe drought was broken only after Machhindranath was brought to the Kathmandu Valley from Kamaru Kamachhya in Assam.
How it’s celebrated
A multi-tiered wooden chariot, sometimes 60 feet tall, is built from scratch each year using traditional joinery with no nails, then pulled through Patan in stages over several weeks — first through the old city, then out toward Jawalakhel — with crowds gathering at each stopping point. The chariot's slow, sometimes unpredictable progress (it can topple or get stuck, delaying things further) is part of the tradition rather than a flaw. It concludes with the Bhoto Jatra ceremony at Jawalakhel.
Tips for visitors
A rare chance to see a multi-story wooden chariot built and hauled through narrow Patan streets by hand — the pace is unhurried, so it suits travelers with a flexible itinerary rather than a single fixed date.
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