— Photos by Jeffrey Shwom

By Jeffrey Shwom

Scenes of a towering structure made of wood, trees, and other materials, being precariously dragged and coordinated by hundreds of religious devotees, adorn the walls of the Somerville Museum. The Art of the Festival – Celebrating the Rain God of the Kathmandu Valley continues through March 29. The exhibit was curated by Bruce McCoy Owens, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus at Wheaton College.

Per the Museum, the nearly 1,400-year-old chariot festival “is devoted to a rain god who is honored by both Hindus and Buddhists … known by many names, Buṃgadyaḥ and Rāto Matysendranāth foremost among them.”

More info at: https://www.somervillemuseum.org/the-art-of-the-festival
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