Kathmandu. KATHMANDU — On the third day of the festival, dogs are being celebrated today by worshipping dogs and offering them sweet food.

According to the Nepal Calendar Determination Development Committee, the Kukur Tihar falls on the second day of the Yamapanchak or Deepawali festival, but this year it has been postponed to the third day due to the fluctuation in the date. Committee member and Valmiki Vidyapeeth’s Department of Theology Prof Dr Devmani Bhattarai said that Narak Chaturdashi and Kukur Tihar should be celebrated as Chaturdashi coinciding with sunrise.

Religious scholar Prof Toyaraj Nepal said that the dog named Shyam and Sabal, who live as gatekeepers at the door of Yamraj on the day of Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi, is celebrated on the basis of the religious belief that the dogs will leave the path of Yamaraj when they go to Yamalok.

There is a religious belief that the dog born in the family of Vaivasvata Manvantar also accompanied Dharmaraj Yudhishthira in his journey to heaven. Dogs are considered to be obedient and reliable pets.

Narak Chaturdashi

Religious scholars say that there is a ritual of bathing in various pilgrimages, rivers or lakes early in the morning, offering tarpan, turning Yamdeep south and throwing crops. Lighting a lamp in this way is called a burning of hell.

It is customary to take a bath with sesame oil on the fifth day of Yamapanchak i.e. Tihar. According to Ayurvedic physician Dr Banshadeep Sharma Kharel, the body will be healthy if this is done. Therefore, Tihar is also celebrated as an important festival from the point of view of health and safety.