Kaag Tihar being celebrated today

Kathmandu, Oct 19: The Kaag Tihar festival is being celebrated today by worshipping and feeding delicacies to the crow.

Kaag Tihar is a part of the five-day Tihar festivities which is observed on the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Kartik each year as per the lunar calendar.

This day is dedicated to the ‘kaag’ or the crow which is believed to be the messenger of the deity Yamaraj, the god of death, as per the Hindu mythology. According to scriptures, crows are considered as messengers of Yama because Yama learns about people’s deeds through them.

On the day of Kaag Tihar today, crows are worshipped and offered delicious food with rituals to please them, hoping they convey ‘good news’ of people to the ‘god of death’.

It is also a tradition in Nepali society to pronounce ‘Shuva bol, shuva bol’, meaning bring good news and auspiciousness, whenever crows craw at home, one’s roof or around the house. If a crow caws around the house, it is even believed to bring some news.

Crows are offered rice mixed with curd and curry in the morning in reverence, in the belief that it is the crows’ especial delicacy. The curd and rice is given to crows today believing that they will deliver good wishes of people to Yama.

On this occasion, a special worship ceremony is held today at Kageshwari Mahadev Temple located in Kageshwari Manohara Municipality–1 in Kathmandu. Likewise, special worship of the crow will also be performed at Kageshwari Temple in Hanumandhoka.

Tihar festival is also associated with the belief that those who commit evil deeds are punished by Yamaraj and those who perform virtuous deeds are protected by Dharmaraj. Yamaraj is also known as Dharmaraj or the ‘king of justice’.

The ritual of ‘Yama Deepadaan’ or paying homage to Yama by lighting butter lamps in the names of all family members for liberation from the torments of Yama has begun from Saturday evening.

There is a belief that making offerings of the ‘Yama Deepadaan’ leads to liberation from suffering in the afterlife. —

Dulal calls ‘crow conference’ on Kaag Tihar

On the occasion of Kaag Tihar festival today, artist Ramesh Dulal ‘Kage’ held the ’22nd Crow Conference’ in front of the Narayanhiti Palace Museum gate in the capital.

At the programme organised jointly by Top Rajdhani Rodhi and Green City Hospital Basundhara, Dulal showcased his special talent, cawing and calling scores of crows to the venue.

Crows started flocking as soon as he made the sound of a crow in the programme that started at a quarter to six this morning.

Dulal has special talent and can imitate the sounds of 173 types of animals and birds, including that of the crow.

He also has the skill to orally produce tunes of the madal, sahanai, sarangi, piano, drum set, murchunga and guitar.

“It has been 22 years since I started holding the ‘crow conference’ on the occasion of Kaag Tihar. Crows are considered the messengers of Yamaraj. This time, however, I have organised this conference purely for cultural purposes,” Dulal said. The audience present in the programme appreciated Dulal’s initiative, which aims to preserve the tradition of celebrating Kaag Tihar both religiously and culturally and to raise public awareness. They also spoke of Dulal, who is endowed with many talents.—