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Ghodejatra In Kathmandu and In Patan
By KTM Metro Reporter
April 10, 2013: the government has declared an official holiday today for watching the Ghodejatra literally means the festival of horses in Kathmandu. The high officials of the Government of Nepal including the president, chairman of interim election council were at Tundikhel in Kathmandu to watch the festival of horses.
Living Goddess Kumari presides over the Ghodejatra. Staying in a special room in the building belonging to National Airlines Corporation, the goddess presides over the Ghodejatra. The then-Panchayat government expropriated the building belonging to Goddess Kumari used for presiding over the Ghodejatra allocating a single room to Goddess Kumari after building a large building for the then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation.
The Nepal Army officials had demonstrated their skills in riding horses. The horse skills include pony race, charger horse races of Nepal Police and NA, sword and show jumps, group tent pegging, cross tent pegging, lance hit pack, lance and ring, lance and crease, sword & apple, drill ride, six bar, Hungarian post, chariot dressage, musical ride, vaulting exercise, horse ball, cross country and fire jump, according to the news posted on ‘gorkhapatraonline.com’ today.
The current Ghodejatra has evolved from the tradition of taking a white horse belonging to the Goddess Taleju to trample on a demon called Gurumapa that had troubled the residents of Kathmandu a lot. Gurumapa pleaded with the attendants to the goddess that he would not trouble anybody in Kathmandu anymore. The day was the new moon day when demons and evil spirits became active.
In Patan also, the Jyapu community has continued to take a single horse around the town on this day. The community gets a horse in loan for a day for displaying in different areas of Patan.
The Nevah community in Kathmandu reveres Lord Shiva called Luku-maha-deo today at night. Community members dig out Lord Shiva believed to be hiding in one corner of each courtyard in the morning, and then cleanse him. On the evening of the new moon night, they offer a Tantrik dish to Lord Luku-maha-deo. A Tantrik dish is made out of roasted buff meat, roasted soybeans, pieces of garlic, ginger, and flattened rice. Added to it is the homebrewed spirit.
