A haunting sacrifice
Every five years, sword-wielding Hindu devotees in Nepal slaughter thousands of animals and birds in a ritual sacrifice meant to appease the Hindu goddess of power, and bring luck and prosperity.
The ritual begins at dawn with a ceremonial "pancha bali" or the sacrifice of five animals: a rat, a goat, a rooster, a pig and a pigeon. This year, about 5,000 buffaloes were held in an open-air pen prior to being beheaded by butchers.
People sit in a vehicle trailer, where they will spend the night before the ceremony.
A man and his daughter sleep near an open-air pen where buffalos will be beheaded.
A man leads a buffalo inside an the pen.
A security guard stands on the wall of the pen where buffalos are kept.
Girls look inside the compound.
A devotee looks up during a ritual before the sacrificial ceremony.
Devotees gather in front of a pig brought to be sacrificed.
Sacrificial knives are displayed for sale.
A butcher holds his sword high as he looks for a buffalo to sacrifice.
A butcher prepares to slaughter a buffalo.
Men prepares to slaughter a buffalo.
Sacrificed buffalos lie on the ground.
A man removes the tongue from the head of a sacrificed buffalo.
A family poses for a picture in front of the carcasses of sacrificed buffalos.
A boy collects the skin of the sacrificed buffalos, which will be used to make leather goods.
A man sits in a tractor where he will load the sacrificed buffalos.
An overloaded vehicle transports people returning from the festival.
