Photos by: Elite Joshi & Angad Dhakal

Holi, the festival of colours, began with the installation of Chir, a bamboo pole fringed with colourful strips of cloths, in Basantapur, Kathmandu, on Friday.

The festival revolves around the mythology of demon king Hiranya Kashyapu ordering his sister Holika to sit on a fire with Pralhad, son of the demon king and a devout follower of Lord Bishnu, on her lap so that Pralhad would stop chanting the name of the Lord.

The catch was that Holika wouldn't burn in the fire because of a boon she had received from god. But it so happened that Holika was burned in the fire while Pralhad remained unharmed and came out of the fire chanting the name of god.

Legend has it that Holika burnt in the fire because she was warned by Lord Bishu that the boon she had received would be meaningless if it was misused.

From then onwards, the festival has been celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.

Photos: Sanjog Manandhar