The five days of the festival of happiness, enthusiasm and mutual respect have their own significance and characteristics. Celebrated as the festival of lights, each day of Tihar (Diwali) is spent in celebration and worship. According to Hindu tradition, various gods and goddesses are worshipped during other festivals. But not only gods and goddesses are worshipped during Tihar, during this period, virtuous animals/animals that help in cutting human hair are also worshipped.

That is, respect is expressed for the human-animal relationship. That is why the crow, which is considered the messenger of Yamaraj, is worshipped on the first day of Tihar. 

‘Crows have traditionally carried good/bad messages,’ says Pashupatimani Tripathi, a cultural expert from Kapilvastu. ‘That is why there is a tradition of starting Tihar by worshipping the messenger crow.’ According to him, on the second day, dogs, who are social soldiers, are worshipped, while on the third day, cows are worshipped as a symbol of Mahalakshmi. On the fourth day of Tihar, Govardhan, or cow worship, which is connected to humans, nature and culture, is performed. It is also called Goru Tihar.

Since bulls have been used in farming since tradition, they are worshipped on the fourth day of Tihar in honor of their work, said cultural expert Tripathi. ‘There are many tangible and intangible cultures connected to our lives and the world,’ he said, ‘We are rich in culture in both ways.’ Culture and traditions are not maintained only from the birth of a person to his death. After the death of a person, his descendants also maintain the traditions. Similarly, Govardhan/Cow Puja has been practiced since the beginning of Eastern civilization, he said.

Cow (Govardhan) is worshipped in every household during Tihar. However, Govardhan and Cow Puja have been performed in special ways at Swargadwaridham in Lumbini Province since tradition. According to Guru Tara Neupane, who has been serving at the said temple, special worship of Lakshminarayan (the cow) is performed at Swargadwari on the day of Govardhan Puja. On that day, cows, bulls, and calves present at the temple are taken around the temple. ‘The cows and bulls present at the temple are fed salt,’ he said, ‘and they are worshipped with pomp and show.’ 

Earlier, a large mountain of cow dung was built in Swargadwari Dham. After the devotees worshipped on the mountain of cow dung made in this way, they burned incense and buried it and the wind blew it away. ‘There is a water crisis in Swargadwari,’ he said, ‘When the mountain of cow dung caught fire, water had to be carried. Then the cow dung started burning and the temple itself started getting dirty.’ When the devotees started crying after seeing the dirt, he explained that now a stone Govardhan Parbat has been built by placing cow dung/clay inside. Now, on the day of worship, a small amount of cow dung is brought and placed in a gajur and worshipped there. 

‘Prayers are held here on the day of Aunsi,’ he said, ‘In short, after worshipping the bull/cow, we apply oil to the body of the bull.’ On the day of Gorupuja, Swargadwari is joyful. Many devotees sit on the street and dance. Groups of 30/40 come to play Bhailo. ‘On that day, devotees come from Baglung, Pokhara, Palpa, and Myagdi,’ said Guru Neupane. ‘It is believed that this tradition started with the establishment of Swargadwari Dham.’

According to Bhairahawa-based cultural expert Vijaya Sagar Shrestha, Govardhan/Goru Puja is associated with Lord Krishna. This festival is celebrated on the day of Pratipada of every Kartik Shukla, i.e. the day before Bhaitika. According to him, the Newari community performs Mha Puja on this day. Also, the new Nepal Sambat is implemented. This time, Nepal Sambat 1146 is starting from the day of Goru Puja.’

According to Shrestha, the area where Lord Krishna resides is called Braj. It includes Mathura, Brindavan, Gokul, Varshane, and Govardhan areas. Once, ego took a place between Krishna and the god Indra. The ‘ego’ between the two reached its peak. Indra says that if he does not provide water, Krishna and the people of Vajra will face disaster. At that time, the people of Braja used to graze their cattle on Govardhan Mountain. The people of Braja, who had previously worshipped Indra for rain, started worshipping Govardhan Mountain. ‘Seeing that, Indra one day caused heavy rain to wash away the cattle of the people of Bajravasi,’ says Shrestha. ‘After seeing that, Krishna lifted Govardhan Mountain and kept all the animals under the mountain for 7 days, providing protection.’ 

Shrestha says that such legends may have been created to run society when there were no laws and regulations. He said that the story shows the importance of nature for humans and animals. He said that Govardhan Puja is relevant at a time when the destruction of nature is increasing. ‘Now the forests have been destroyed,’ he said, ‘earlier the stones on the river banks were considered sacred, but now, after using excavators to extract sand and stones from the river, the relationship between man and nature has been disrupted, and as soon as there is too much rain, floods have started destroying it.’ He also said that Govardhan Puja is trying to send a message that the arrogance of ‘I must be obeyed’ will not last long. ‘This festival has pointed out the need for love, affection and coexistence,’ he said. 

According to cultural researcher Sanjeev Gyawali, cow worship is also performed on the same day as Govardhan Puja under Yama Panchaka. He said that Govardhan and cow worship are mentioned in the Puranas during the Mahabharata period. It is also the day when the residents of Vajra, where Lord Krishna grew up, abandoned Indra and started worshipping Govardhan Mountain, i.e. nature. In the Puranas, it is mentioned that Krishna raised the Govardhan mountain for 7 days to protect the settlement, people and animals from the water. 

‘It is believed that Govardhan Puja started from that day,’ says Gyawali, ‘In recent times, there is a practice of worshipping by making a mountain of cow dung in the form of that mountain.’ According to him, at that time, cowherds lived with Krishna in Braj. It is believed that he started cow/goose worship because he believed that animals should be worshipped along with nature. ‘Our society is agricultural,’ he said, ‘That is why cow worship has been started to show respect for the cow that helps in farming.’ 

He expressed concern over the lack of cows/bulls in villages/cities in recent times, which has created a situation where there is no access to excrement. ‘Cows/bulls are of great importance in Eastern civilization,’ he said, ‘Even in the Puja, cow offerings come at the beginning.’ He said that cow dung and cow dung are indispensable to complete any puja. He expressed concern over the lack of attention paid to cow/bull conservation in recent times. ‘Respect for animals is decreasing,’ he said, ‘Cows/bulls worshipped during Tihar are becoming abandoned on the streets.’

 Conservation activist Yubaraj Kandel says that all the elements necessary for farmers to live socially are worshipped throughout the Yama Panchak period. ‘Tihar is also a festival to express respect for animals and nature,’ he said, ‘Even though it is only five days a year, humans have been expressing respect for nature and animals.’ According to him, in the Terai/hills, cows that are tired from working throughout the rainy season are given rest before starting winter farming. Since Tihar falls at this time, respect is shown by worshiping cows and bulls. However, with mechanization in agriculture, animal husbandry has become complicated. 

 ‘Commercially raised animals do not have a religious affiliation,’ said conservationist Kandel. ‘The practice of worshipping animals and nature to protect the environment from tradition is fading away. Nowadays, such worships are only performed for formal occasions.’ There is no practice of wasting cow dung in the Terai/Madhesh. The general public collects cow dung in the winter and piles it in the shape of a mountain, and in the rainy season, the collected excrement is spread on crops. ‘Worshiping animals and nature achieves social adaptation,’ he said, ‘on the other hand, mutual respect increases.’