<p>This article introduces the three articles in this special issue of the <i>International Journal of Hindu Studies</i> on the South Asian festival of Indra. Practiced throughout royal capital cities of medieval India, the festival’s only full performance takes place in Kathmandu, Nepal, which was ruled until recently by a hereditary Hindu king. The festival’s central object is a tall wooden pole, cut and pulled from a nearby forest and installed outside the palace. The three articles in this issue detail and expand upon various themes within the classical festival and in contemporary performances: danger (<i>bhaya</i>) in the Sanskritic festival, icons of Indra in the Newar performance in Kathmandu, and Jain performances in classical texts and modern Jaipur. To introduce these examples, this article details the various ways that the festival has traditionally signaled innovation, used recognized forms of donation and decoration, and juxtaposed the veneration of goddesses with the annual worship of Indra. It concludes by briefly looking at several performances of the festival throughout the global Newar diaspora.</p>