In between the sprawling urban centre that is Kathmandu and the still-ancient metropolis of Bhaktapur is a little town that often slips through the radar of locals and tourists alike. 

When the rest of the Valley is enveloped in pomp and din of the New calendar year, this little cloistered town, aptly named Madhyapur Thimi—the city that lies midway—too puts out a grand show that punches above its weight, trying to hog a bit of the limelight that otherwise remains elusive throughout the rest of the year. 

The town is currently celebrating Biska Jatra, one of the many spring festivals taking place around the world right now, which is definitely one of the most colourful and vibrant celebrations to new beginnings in the Valley.

In this compilation from last year, I have tried to capture the contagious energy of the locals who come together once a year as a strong collective that offers a faint glimpse into what the Valley’s celebrations used to be in days of old. Thimi’s celebrations might easily be overshadowed by Pahan Charhe, Gahana Khojne Jatra and Bhaktapur’s Biska Jatra, but for the local community and those that trickle into the town during the festivities, it is one that pulsates well into the New Year. 

Photos and Text: Saurav Thapa Shrestha