Every April, the ancient city of Bhaktapur comes alive in a way that is difficult to put into words. Bisket Jatra, or Biska Jatra as the Newar community knows it, is a nine-day festival centred around the Nepali New Year, which in 2026 falls on 14 April – marking the beginning of the Nepali year 2083.
Its roots trace back to the Licchavi era, when King Jagat Jyoti Malla ruled Bhaktapur. The festival’s name itself is telling: “Bi” means giant snake, and “sya” means to kill, a nod to the mythology at its heart.
Legend has it that a cursed princess brought death to every man she married, until a prince with tantric powers stayed awake on their wedding night and slayed the two serpents that emerged from her nostrils. Bhaktapur celebrated its survival and has continued to do so ever since.
The festival features chariot processions of the deities Bhairab and Bhadrakali, tug-of-war competitions between rival halves of the city, and the ceremonial raising and felling of the Yosing, a towering wooden pole symbolising the defeat of one’s enemies. In the nearby village of Bode, one brave volunteer undergoes a tongue-piercing ritual, carrying flaming torches through the streets for an entire day.
For travellers, Bisket Jatra offers something few festivals can: the unfiltered energy of a living tradition, unfolding across medieval squares that have witnessed this same spectacle for centuries.
