Ghodejatra( Festival of Horses)

Ghodejatra( Festival of Horses)

Ghodejatra is one of the typical Nepali festival. It is Known as the festival of horses.It falls in the Mid March/ late March. According to the Nepali calender it lies in the month of Chaitra.Ghodejatra simply means the Horse Riding Day. This festival is celebrated only in Kathmandu Valley (capital city of Nepal).Ghodejatra is originally a Newari festival. Newari, which means the caste of Nepali living specially in Kathmandu Valley. Ghodejatra is celebrated by worshipping hindu goddess Bhadrakali and Kankeshori, two dieties who are paraded through the narrow streets of Ason Tole the night before the festival.

Beliefs

Hindu beliefs reveals the fact that this Ghodejatra festival was held to celebrate the victory over a demon named TundiThe demon Tunde use to live over the meadow of Kathmandu city, today known as Tundikhel. According to legend, Tundi was a terror as well. When demon Tundi met with his death people rejoiced by dancing on his body with horses. It has been strong beliefs in Nepalese cultural society that the clamor of horses’ hooves on the day of Ghode Jatra at Tundikhel keeps the demon’s sprit at bay as it still threatens to ruin the city. It’s also said that the faster the horses run quicker will Tundi’s spirit be dispelled. The swift running of the horses on this day is also considered to be a good omen for the Nepalese people.

Significance

Nowadays, on the day of Ghodajatra, there are huge competitive sports.  Horse racing , cycling and a display by the Nepalese army take place on the Tundikhel. Tudikhel, which lies in centered place of Kathmandu. It has now been a kind of military pageant.

Horse racing and other sports take place at Tundikhel on this excited and holy day. In other parts of the Kathmandu city, the various deities are carried shoulder-high on wheelless chariot (Khat) with the accompaniment of traditional music.

A grand horse parade takes place at Tundikhel, the central point of the city. Tundukhel is reputed to have been in the former days the largest parade ground in Asia.