Masks of Newar Deities — Nijal Munankarmi

Masks of the Divine is an ongoing series of large-format vector illustrations documenting the masked deities and sacred temple courtyards of the Navadurga Jatra, Bhaktapur's most significant festival cycle. The Navadurga are nine mother goddesses whose masked forms are brought to life each year through ritual performance, dance, and procession — a tradition that has defined the spiritual and civic identity of Bhaktapur for centuries. Each illustration in the series focuses on one of the fourteen sacred masks, rendering their ornamental complexity and ceremonial weight through a graphic vocabulary that is precise without being clinical. The project sits at the intersection of archival practice and design research, treating illustration as a form of cultural documentation at a moment when indigenous festival traditions face increasing pressure from urbanization and shifting intergenerational interest. Masks of the Divine is an attempt to give these figures a presence outside the ritual context in which they appear, making the visual language of the Navadurga Jatra legible and lasting.

... in progress

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