Ghode jatra: The day of the horse festival

Ghode jatra, horse racing festival, takes place between March/April and a grand horse parade takes place at Tundikhel.

According to a popular belief, this festival began as a celebration of the victory over a demon named Tundi who resided in the meadow, which is known as Tundikhel at present.

The demon Tundi used to trouble the people of Kathmandu valley. The people caught it and buried it in Tundikhel. However, the spirit continued to trouble children in one way or another. So spurred by the belief that the spirit is still alive, the practice of suppressing it with the hoofs of the horses was started in Tundikhel. It is believed that the clamour of horses’ hooves on Ghode Jatra at Tundikhel keeps the demon’s spirit at bay.

In Lalitpur, Ghode Jatra starts on the no-moon-day of the Nepali month of Chaitra. Here, there is a tradition where Chyonkhala—the local Newar community—sings a song about Mahabharata. One person from the community travels on horseback from the main junction at the Durbar Square to Balkhuchiba, visiting different temples.