Taking Indra Jatra to the world

The globalisation of the festival is natural since many Newars commemorate it worldwide.

Last Wednesday, the office of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) made a welcome announcement of a campaign to internationalise the Indra Jatra festival, with invitations sent to 18 of its sister cities worldwide. The metropolitan city is internationalising the festival in economic terms. But in terms of heritage, and as a consequence of internationalisation, it would eventually lead to the globalisation of the festival. The verdict for the globalisation of cultural heritage cannot be universal but on a case-by-case basis; whether it is right or wrong depends on how it is carried out. It is of utmost importance for cultural globalisation to maintain a required level of negotiation with local traditions, indigenous knowledge and natural landscape. When it comes to intangible heritages like the Indra Jatra, it is equally important to consider the cultural landscape constituted by people's memories, the dynamicity of the built architecture, and the local heritage management practices.