Bisket Jatra is one of the exciting festivals of Hindus which involves pulling two wooden chariots in different directions. The festival takes place in Bhaktapur from a few days before Nepali New Year and lasts till few days after the festival. Two massive chariots, called raths, pulled by young men, carry the statues of gods Bhairab and Bhadra kali along with other gods and goddesses enthroned on palanquins are taken in procession around the town.

If you are looking for some casual festival, that involves a lot of people, in an open area, where you do not necessarily have to be from the same culture and religion, and simply want to enjoy like a local, Bisket Jatra is the perfect festival for you. The raths are set to rest on various places in the city during the procession where the visitors can pay homage to the deities.

The star attraction of the Jatra is the erection of two wooden poles on two different places in the city. The first one or the major one is brought down in the New Year day, and the raths procession begins on the same day and is clashed with one another. It is all about pushing and pulling, and ultimately crashing the huge wooden pole on the ground.

It is one of the attractive festivals because it involves everyone who is interested to be part of it. Young people come to check their strength by trying to drag the rath to the ground and enjoy with several other young people on the streets.

This annual festival is celebrated to welcome Nepali New Year, which falls in the mid of April and has been celebrated from ancient times. Devotees pay their homage to the deities of the chariots and wish for good luck and fortune. They throw offerings like flowers, rice, coins, and red color powder on the chariots during its procession.

The most exciting thing about the festival is the event where locals pierce their tongue. It is done by one of the people who spend the day with iron and spikes his tongue as a part of the celebration and symbol of victory.

If you are planning to be part of the Bisket Jatra, make sure you are well attentive to your goods as the crowd is huge and misplacement or theft can take place. It is better to avoid going on the crowd during the clash of the wooden pole on the Nepali New Year day to avoid accidents. Though the festival is exciting, it is dangerous at the same time.