A day for our furry friends: Special pics from 'Kukur Tihar' festival

• Image Credit: Internet

• Nov 4, 2021 | moderator

Kathmandu: Like every year, this year too, Nepal is organizing its biggest festival for our furry friends – Kukur Tihar. Hindus across the Himalayan nation honour dogs with baths, garlands and special treats during this five day long Kukuar Tihar festival.

As per local myth and tradition, Hindus in Nepal consider the dog to be the messenger of Yamraj, the god of death, and believe that worshipping the animal makes him happy.

The Nepalese police officers garland, and worship the canines during Kukur Tihar as part of Tihar celebrations at a police canine training centre in Kathmandu.

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During the festival, crows and ravens are also worshipped as they are considered to be messengers of Bhagwan Yama. They are worshipped on the first day of the Kukur Tihar festival, also known as Kaag Tihar. Food including meat and grains are offered to crows during the festival.

The bond between dogs and the people of Nepal goes back to the point where dogs were first domesticated by humans. According to ABC Science, a genetic study suggested that the dogs might have been domesticated for the first time in Central Asia, precisely in modern-day Nepal and Mongolia.

Dogs were the unsung heroes of the rescue operations of the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal in 2015. During the rescue operations, special canine units were deployed that helped in spotting surviving victims under the rubble.