Roma Ambekar

"A Tapestry of Tradition and Ethical Dilemmas"

Section MS12, Riccardo Badano

Keywords: ritual, publishing

The Gadhimai Festival, an ancient Hindu tradition held every five years in Nepal's Bara District, celebrates the Goddess of Power. Despite its initial resemblance to vibrant Hindu festivities, it gained infamy in 2009 for the unprecedented sacrifice of 250,000 animals, marking it as the world's most prominent ritual of its kind. Despite a 2015 ban on animal sacrifices, the festival persisted in 2019 and is expected to recur in 2024. This project delves into the intricate interplay of religious traditions, cultural heritage, and contemporary ethical concerns. Through an interactive leaflet, it aims to unfold the captivating narrative of the Gadhimai Festival, bridging the gap of awareness by immersing individuals in its essence through visual storytelling and symbolic representations of traditional fair objects.