KATHMANDU: Goru Puja or ox worship and Govardhan Puja are being observed throughout the country today on the fourth day of the five-day-long Tihar festival celebrated by the Hindus in the country.

The Govardhan Puja rituals are being observed today with replicas of the Govardhan Mountain made out of cow dung.

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.

The rituals are linked to the Hindu God Sri Krishna who, according to the legend, lifted the Govardhan Mountain by his hand and protected the people of a place called Gokul from torrential rains caused by Indra, the God of rain.

As the legend goes, the Rain God was angered and thereby caused the heavy downpour.

Likewise, the ox is also worshipped today as it is a very useful animal in different agricultural works in Nepal which is predominantly an agricultural society.