The renowned traditional dance-drama, Kartik Naach, held at Patan Durbar Square, concluded on Friday. According to the Kartik Naach Preservation Committee (KNPC), the final performance featured the Vastraharan Leela dance. This year’s festivities began on 6 November, showcasing the Narasimha avatar dance on Thursday night, depicting the slaying of Hiranyakashipu, a demon challenging the godly power of Lord Vishnu.

Celebrated annually in Lalitpur, the traditional Kartik Naach follows a ten-day format. Initiated nearly 380 years ago by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla, this historic performance is staged at the Kartik Dabali in Patan Durbar Square. The dance enacts stories from the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and the Swasthani, delivering moral teachings through episodic storytelling. Dedicated to the deity Kartikeya, it symbolises the triumph of good over evil and reflects Malla’s devotion to the arts.

Cultural historians note that Siddhi Narsingh Malla began this tradition in Nepal Sambat 761. Traditionally lasting a month, the dance was performed for only ten days this year.

Here are some of the photos of the performance captured by the post’s photojournalist Safal Prakash Shrestha.