Kathmandu: President Ramchandra Paudel, along with First Lady Sabita Paudel, engaged in the ceremonial Gai Puja, an act of cow worship, at Sheetal Niwas today. This ritual holds significant cultural importance as it aligns with the tradition of honoring the cow as a representation of Goddess Laxmi during the festival of Kartik Krishna Aunshi, also known as Gai Tihar.
According to National News Agency Nepal, President Paudel performed the ritual by offering worship to the cow and providing it with special food. The ceremony also included the traditional practice of tying a sacred thread, originally worn on the wrist during the Janai Poornima festival, to the cow’s tail. This act is steeped in cultural belief, symbolizing that the cow will assist the individual’s soul in crossing the mythical Baitarani River to reach heaven after death.