For centuries, there has been a tradition of worshipping humans, birds, animals and objects during the 5 days of Tihar. Why, how and when did this tradition begin? Of the five days of Tihar, cow worship and Lakshmi worship occur in the morning and evening or exactly one day before or after. According to cultural expert Veena Paudyal, cow worship culture was considered important since the Vedic period. ‘Kamdhenu emerged from the churning of the ocean, and sage Vashishtha took her to his ashram.

In that era when food was not enough, eighty-four dishes were cooked in Vashishtha's ashram from cow's milk, curd, and butter. When Vishwamitra came to visit, he asked Vashishtha for Kamdhenu, but Vashishtha did not give it to him,' says Veena, 'Because of the cow, Vishwamitra attacked Vashishtha's ashram with an army and a big war broke out. In that war, Kamdhenu herself won the war by using all the power in her body. All the gods were amazed to see the qualities and skills of such a powerful animal. After that, Vishwamitra abandoned everything and started penance, purified himself, reached a higher level, and became the father of the Gayatri Mantra.' 

Veena feels that the greatest donation in Hinduism is cow donation. Even if one donates land, property, and clothes during Vaitarani, it is not complete and perfect until cow donation is made. The flowers and offerings of the gods and ancestors throughout the year are offered to the cow's tail on the day of Lakshmi Puja of Tihar. This is believed to bring peace, prosperity, good health and wealth, says Paudyal. 

According to Veena, the transformed form of the cow is Lakshmi (material). Lakshmi is also the goddess of wealth and opulence who emerged from the churning of the ocean. 'The Lakshmi we worship is an incarnation of Lakshmi Devi with a bright face, whose hands shower gold coins. It is believed that worshipping her will bring prosperity and wealth,' says Veena. 

Theology scholar and architect Basudev Krishna Shastri says, 'From ancient times, Tantra, Vedic times to today's modern times, the importance of cowherds and the culture of worshipping this beautiful animal, the cow, is high. 33 crore gods, including 12 types of Aditya Surya, 8 Ashtavasu, 11 types of Eladasha Rudra, and 2 Ashwini Kumaras, are enshrined in a single cow. Therefore, a cow is considered an animal with 33 crore gods in one place. In Sanatan Dharma, worshipping a cow on a day of Tihar is to respect livestock and cows. In ancient times, livestock was the main wealth. People considered its protection, promotion, and worship to be special.' 

Then in the Vedic period, gold coins came, which were called 'Pana'. Then came - Mani-Manikya (gold, silver, copper, brass, iron, and lead), which began to be considered as wealth. Even today, Vasudev says that while worshiping spirits, one cannot achieve success unless one offers money made of lead and iron. Then in the early and middle ages of the agricultural era, land began to be considered wealth. At that time, kingdoms were formed, and the entire earth began to be called 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. 

‘Lakshmi Puja, or material worship, was started during Tihar since the Tantra period,’ says Shastri. ‘At that time, knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom were considered wealth and were worshipped. This is the industrial age, the age of money. Now, on the day of Lakshmi Puja, it is customary to worship by piling up money and jewelry. The main aspect of this worship is to purify wealth through charity and charity.’ 

Astrologer and architect Diwakar Pant says that cow worship was widespread in the ancient times. In the Treta Yuga, Lord Rama and in the Dwapar Yuga, Shri Krishna sat between the cow and got power from being watered by the cows. ‘As mentioned in our Vedas and Puranas, cow worship is connected to nature and our coexistence. Worshipping any animal that we have, whether it is a cow, elephant, horse, dog, etc., means that we should not destroy them with the highest consciousness in humans,’ says Diwakar. 

Dhan Puja, or the worship of money, also emerged in ancient times, says Pant. And, his study shows that it emerged from gold coins. ‘Laxmi Mata is the presiding goddess of wealth, splendor, prosperity, and luxury. It has been believed since time immemorial that worshipping Goddess Laxmi Mata on the day of Laxmi Puja of Tihar will bring wealth, prosperity, and splendor,’ says Pant, ‘But in today’s era, worship alone is not enough. It is necessary to be hardworking and diligent. Worshipping in this way during Tihar is also a sign of entrepreneurship and doing good deeds.’