KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today witnessed the annual festival of Ghode Jatra organised by the Nepal Army, at the Army Pavilion, on Thursday. The Ghode Jatra, religiously named as Aswa Yatra, is known as the oldest festival celebrated in the country's cultural hub of the Valley. Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri, Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha, Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun and Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar were also present in the function. Various teams of the Nepal Army had performed different stunts during the festivals including several competitions. The festival is celebrated annually as per a mythology which relates the genesis of the festival after the death of a demon named Tundi. Legends have it, that the demon who lived on a meadow, which is now at Tundikhel, used to instigate terror among the Kathmandu denizens. After his death people rejoiced by dancing on his body by riding horses. There is a belief that the parade of horses at Tundikhel keeps the demon’s spirit away. The faster the horses run, the better Tundi’s spirit is dispelled. As per another legend, the Ghode Jatra is held as per the lunar calendar, which is a day before the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, to mark the start of the Nepali New Year.