KATHMANDU: Gai Puja or cow worship is being observed throughout the country today on the third day of the five-day-long Tihar festival celebrated by the Hindus in the country.

The cows are fed with sweets and delicacies as part of the Gai Puja rituals.

As per the tradition, the sacred thread tied around one’s wrist on Janai Poornima festival would be tied to the tail of the cow while performing Gai Puja today.

The myth has it that by doing so, the person’s soul crosses the Baitarani River, a mythical river, to heaven, after his/her death.

People prepare a mixture of cow dung and ochre formed into a paste and apply it in the courtyard of their homes and on the floors today.