Kukur Tihar being observed today

Kathmandu, Oct 20: Kukur Tihar, the festival of dogs, is being celebrated at every household today, to mark the third day of Yamapanchak of this year’s Tihar festival.

Though Kukur Tihar falls on the second day of the Tihar festival, it is being celebrated on the third day this year due to some changes in the calendar, Member of Nepal Calendar Determination Committee Prof Dr Devmani Bhattarai said.

The dog, which is an animal well known for being the trustworthy sentry as well as faithful companion of humans since ancient times, is worshipped once a year on this day as Yamadoot, or a messenger of Yamaraj, the God of death. People worship dogs, garland them and offer delicious food today.

This day is also called Narak Chaturdashi. The dog, which is said to have accompanied Dharmaraj Yudhisthir on his journey to heaven in the mythological grand epic Mahabharat, has a close relationship with mankind.