Nepal

Tomas van Houtryve

Freelance

Nepal - A Hindu women is reflected in a temple mirror on Maha Asthamithe, the ninth day of the Dashai festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal on 19 October, 2007. Dashai is the largest festival in Nepal, when Hindus offer sacrifices to Durga, the goddess of victory. Nepal's residents endure poverty and instability as political turmoil continues to grip the himalayan country. An uprising against the monarchy was supposed to lead to elections, but the polls have been cancelled amid political bickering. At stake is the nation's soul. Will it remain one of the most spiritual and traditional societies in the world, or will the communist agenda that is being aggressively advocated prevail? While the tussle between Maoists and monarchists drags on, ordinary Nepalis are caught between their rituals and their revolution.

Tomas van Houtryve, "Nepal," in POYi Archive, Item #41565, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/41565 (accessed April 21, 2025).