Newar community celebrated Gathemangal festival (Photo Feature)

The Newar community in Kathmandu Valley celebrated the Gathemangal celebration on Shrawan Krishna Chaturdashi. Gathemangal is also known as the Ghantakarna Festival. 

This celebration, which is said to be the earliest of the Newar community's festivals, is marked by building an effigy of a three-legged demon named Ghantakarna at the junction of each street.

There is a tale that a legendary demon known as "Ghantakarna" existed and spread negativity and cruelty among people. To get rid of this, Newars created dummy demons and erected them at the crossroads. The Ghantakarna is formed of straws and bamboo leaves for body parts, while the face is made of nanglo (a bamboo round plate) with art on it and bells to represent ears. It is taken about the city and, at the end of the day, hauled to a nearby river bank for disposal before being burned in the city's chowks.

This is said to prevent crops from becoming infested with insects or pests. 

Worshippers bathe early in the morning, practice ritual worship, and clean their homes and courtyards. 

The demon effigies are dragged and burned at night as a symbol of celebrating over the death of the human-eating demon.