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GANGTOK, Sept19: Gangtok is set to come alive with the sounds of Dhimey drums, Lakhey dances, chariots and traditional Newar rituals as the Newar community prepares to celebrate Indra Jātrā, known as "Yenyā Punhi", from September 22 to 30.



One of the most prominent religious and cultural festivals of the Newar community, Indra Jātrā will bring together traditional rituals, music, dance, food and cultural heritage in a week-long celebration across Gangtok.



The festival is particularly significant for Sikkim’s Newar community as it provides a public platform to preserve and showcase traditions that have been carried across generations. This year, the organisers are seeking to make the celebration more visible by taking its cultural expressions directly to the streets of Gangtok.



The major public programmes will be held on September 24 and 25 at MG Marg and Manan Kendra, where more than 120 Newar artists are expected to participate in Dhimey and Lakhey performances. The organisers said the mass performance is expected to be entered into the India Book of Records.



Alongside the performances, visitors will be able to explore an exhibition depicting Newar cultural heritage, traditional practices, artefacts and cuisine, offering a glimpse into a community whose cultural identity is closely associated with its festivals, rituals, music, architecture and culinary traditions.



Uttam Sakya, Vice-President of the Indra Jātrā Celebration Committee, explained the religious significance of the festival, particularly the special puja and Kumari Puja associated with the Newar community's believes and faith.



The presence of the Kumari, or the traditionally worshipped living goddess, is among the distinctive features of Newar religious traditions. The ritual dimension of the festival will therefore run alongside the public celebrations, linking the colourful street festivities with their deeper religious and cultural roots.



Rath Yatra to be major attraction



On September 25, the main day of Indra Jātrā, a grand Rath Yatra will be taken out after special prayers to Lord Indra and Kumari.

According to Dhiraj Pradhan, President of the Indra Jātrā Celebration Committee, the procession will begin from Bhanu Path near Sikkim Archives, move towards MG Marg and culminate at Manan Kendra.



The Rath Yatra is expected to be one of the major public attractions of this year's celebration, bringing traditional Newar religious symbolism into the heart of capital town of Sikkim.



The celebrations will also recognise individuals who have contributed to society and to the preservation of Newar heritage. The committee will confer the Newar Ratna Samman on two distinguished personalities for their contributions towards Sikkimese society and the promotion of Newar culture and traditions.



A Bhanji Brikuti Samman will also be presented to a woman in recognition of her distinguished contribution to cultural promotion and other services.



The cultural programme will continue into the evening at Manan Kendra, where Deepak Bajracharya is scheduled to perform.



From community festival to wider cultural platform



The Sikkim Newar Guthi has been coordinating the festival and has outlined a series of programmes aimed at bringing different aspects of Newar heritage before the wider public.



The Guthi said Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and Cabinet ministers are expected to attend the main Indra Jātrā programme.



This year's celebration, however, comes with a larger ambition. The Newar Guthi had envisioned an international-level Indra Jātrā celebration in Sikkim, but the plan could not be implemented at the proposed scale due to various factors, including the disruption of connectivity caused by disasters in the State.



The Guthi said the international-level celebration remains a future objective.



For Sikkim, where communities from different cultural traditions form part of the State's distinctive social fabric, the festival is not only a religious observance but also an opportunity to place Newar heritage, traditions and performing arts before a wider audience.



With the Rath Yatra moving through the streets, more than a hundred artists performing traditional music and dance, and exhibitions bringing Newar food and heritage into the public space, this year's Indra Jātrā is set to be as much a celebration of living heritage as a religious festival.

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