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Chaitra Dasain
Red vermillion powder family blessing and goat and duck
sacrifices are essential to praise the victory of Ram hero of
the epic Ramayana over the evil king Rawan. Mother Goddess Durga
the source of all power must be supplicated too for her powers
helped Ram achieve his visctory.
Ghode Jatra
Ghode Jatra the festival of horses is a yearly sports even
taking place at the Tundikhel parade ground in central Kathmandu.
Its roots go back several hundred years though it is also
associated with older religious traditions. At midnight as the
parade grounds the images of Bhadra Kali and her sister goddess
are carried from their respective temples and placed in the
middle of the dark expanse. A third sister goddess is then
brought from another locality and made bow before the first two
images. The actual horse-racing is conducted with great gusto
and spectators come from all over the Valley as well as from
more distant to witness the exciting event. Their Majesties the
King and the Queen are also a part of the jatra audience.
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