This was originally a Newari festival centred on feasting with friends and worshipping Bhadrakali and Kankeshwari, whose images are paraded through the narrow streets of Asan the night before the festival. At the same time, the demon Gurumpa is feasted on the Tundikhel. However, today Ghodajatra is noted for its competitive sports such as horse-racing and cycling and a displayed by the army which take place on the Tundikhel. It is a spectacular military pageant.
