Today, the fourteenth day of the
dark half of the lunar month of Shravan is celebrated as the victory of
a fiendish demon who once haunted this valley. The holiday takes
its name, Ghantakarna, from the demon's name, which means
'bell-ears'. This particularly bloodthirsty and lascivious demon,
tormented the inhabitants of the valley for a long time until a god,
disguised as a frog imitating all the demon's moves, lured him into a
chase which ended inside a well where the demon was trapped and killed
by the populace. On this day, in the morning, children put up
simple barriers on the roads, stopping traffic and collecting donations
for the demon's funeral. Anatomically correct effigies of
Ghantakarna are also erected. Around sunset the effigies are
dismantled, some of them are burned, and feasting over the demise of
the frightful demon commences.
