Bisket Jatra is Nepali New Year, celebrated most raucously in Bhaktapur.The centrepiece of the festival, which takes place in mid-April, is a huge golden chariot which is carried around the town until it reaches the Khalna Tole.

The chariot, carrying images of the god Bhairab, stops on its journey to enable a tug-of-war to take place between the inhabitants of the east and west sides of Bhaktapur.

Once at Khalna Tole, a 25 metre-high phallic symbol is installed on a stone platform; it is demolished the next day in the aftermath of yet another tug-of-war!

The public celebrations are accompanied by private celebrations amongst the population: families convene for up to four days of feasting, with family elders placing tilaka marks (using red tikka powder) on the foreheads their juniors.