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Gai Puja or cow worship, Goru Puja or ox worship and Govardan Puja are being observed throughout the country today on the fourth day of the five-day-long Tihar festival celebrated by the majority Hindus in the country.

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

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

The cow is revered as mata or mother by Hindus and is sacred for them. Modern science has also proved that indigenous breeds of cows absorb the energy from the sun and the moon in their hump which is transmitted through milk to humans.

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

There is the tradition of tying the sacred thread that is tied around one's wrist on the occasion of the Janai Poornima festival on the tail of the cow while performing Gai Puja.

It is believed that doing so the cow would help the person's soul cross the Baitarani River, a mythical river, to heaven, after the person's death.

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.

It is believed that the rain God was angered and thereby caused the heavy downpour.

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

High demand of electricity (peak demand), 1,602 megawatt, has been recorded in Laxmi Puja of this year's Tihar festival.

According to the Nepal Electricity Authority, the peak demand was recorded at 6:25 pm on Thursday, the day of Laxmi Puja.

The peak demand of power was recorded 1,438 megawatt on Laxmi Puja last year.

The high demand of electricity was more by 164 megawatt this year as compared to previous year.

The NEA added the recorded peak demand of electricity was except of industrial customers as industries, factories remain closed during Tihar.

The electricity was supplied by generating power from power houses of the country in order to meet the demand of power on the day of Laxmi Puja.

The surplus 253 megawatt of electricity was exported to India by fulfilling the demand of power of the country during peak hour.

Overall demand of 1,855 megawatt electricity was recorded in import was recorded on Lamxi Puja this year which was 1955 megawatt last year.

The trend of setting off firecrackers in celebration has not stopped in Kathmandu Valley during this Tihar festival despite the tight supervision of the security bodies.

Especially the youths let off fireworks in celebration during the Tihar festival.

It is said celebratory explosion of fire crackers is high in the inner-alleys than on the main streets and in the outlying areas of Kathmandu Valley this time.

The pace of exploding pyrotechnics has increased since Thursday evening when the Laxmipuja rituals were observed and it will likely continue today as well.

Sharan Sharma, a resident of Chandragiri in Kathmandu said exploding fireworks non-stop has caused sound pollution in the environment while it has also increased the risk of outbreak of fire. "I could hear the sound of explosion of firecrackers up until 12 pm. It was really disturbing. I could not sleep. I can hear the loud sound of firecrackers exploding even in the morning. I think the security agencies should make their monitoring more effective to check this trend," he said.

According to him, although there is the presence of the security personnel on the main streets and core areas in Kathmandu, their patrolling is only nominal in the inner alleys and the outlying areas in the Valley.

Sharma said the smuggling of firecrackers and letting off fireworks continues due to lax monitoring by police.

However, Nepal Police has claimed that it has upped security vigilance at all the 10 transit points of the Valley and intensified checking at various places with the goal preventing the smuggling and explosion of fireworks. Nepal Police central spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki said security vigilance has been stepped up in view of the likelihood of increased gambling and explosion of firecrackers during Tihar.

He said the police will take under control and initiate legal action against anyone involved in such activities.

Spokesperson for Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Senior Superintendent Binod Ghimire said that the police has arrested and taken action against some people involved in fireworks on the charge of smuggling and letting off explosives.

Assistant Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, Anil Poudel, warned of legal action against anyone involved in hooliganism and disturbing public peace, decency and security by drinking alcohol and engaging in other unruly activities during the festival. 

The Newar Community in Bhaktapur district is celebrating Mha Puja (the worship of the self) today and Bhai Tika (Kija Puja) tomorrow.

The Newar Community is celebrating Mha Puja today and Bhai Tika tomorrow after Bhaktapur municipality decided to celebrate Mha Puja today, as the Kachhalathwo Pratipada Tithi as per lunar calendar commences after 5:15 pm today and Bhai Tika tomorrow as Dwitiya Tithi falls after 7:00 pm tomorrow.

The municipality called on district folks to celebrate Bhai Tika and Kija Puja on November 2.

However, the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee has determined that Bhai Tika should be observed on November 3.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that the weather is likely to remain mainly fair across the country today.

However, there is a partial influence of the westerly wind as well as the local wind in the hilly region of the country resulting in generally cloudy weather there.

According to the Department, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces and fair in remaining parts of the country.

There are chances of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places of the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.

Chances of snowfall are also predicted in the mountainous and high-hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.

Likewise, the weather is likely to remain partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region of the country tonight and some parts of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces could receive light rain. 

The Nepal Calendar Determination Development Committee has said that there is no celebration for Tihar today though it is Aunsi as per the lunar calendar.

Issuing a press statement, the Committee said that Laxmi Puja was performed on Thursday evening while Gai Puja to be performed on Kartik Shukla Pratipada will be done on Saturday.

Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Shree Krishna Adhikari, said that such patterns in the calendar (Tithi) happen at an interval of some years and the festival of Tihar, which is observed for five days, is extended for six days this year due to the same shift in the calendar.

The festival of Tihar which begins on Kartik Krishna Trayodashi was started on Tuesday this year.

This year's Tihar festival is ending (November 3) on Sunday after the Bhaitika on Kartik Shukla Duitiya as per the lunar calendar. ---

China’s Yunnan Province has handed over public welfare projects to Nepal’s Lalitpur Metropolitan City. This includes a solar powered community bathroom named UnicsolarShower Station, which is the first of its kind in the capital city, and a roof photovoltaic project.

Amid a special function organized in Lalitpur on Friday, the Yunnan CommercialRepresentative Office in Nepal handed over the projects to Ward-3 of Municipality.

The Unicsolar Shower Station is equipped with 4,000-liter hot water facility generated by the solar energy and has 3 shower rooms each for males and females. The community bathroom will benefit at least 80-100 persons to take shower per day. 

In addition, the rooftop photovoltaic project has an installed capacity of 36kw which could generate around 60,000kwh annually andprovide green and free energy to the community for a long-term. 

Addressing the ceremony, Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Chiri Babu Maharjanexpressed gratitude to the Chinese side for supporting the heritage city Lalitpur. 

Terming the project as “excellent state-of-art facility,” Mayor said that it would highly benefit the locals. He further shared that the municipality seeks to explore collaboration with the Yunnan Province in more avenues in near future. 

On the occasion, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song remarked that the project, based on the Chinese development model, could of great significance to Nepalis people.

He also shared that the Chinese side has been engaged in various projects related to agriculture, solar energy, school support program among others in remote areas under the Vibrant Village project. 

On behalf of Yunnan Provincial Government, the Yunnan Commercial Representative Office in Nepal was established in 2015. The Office has been working as a business cooperationwindow and communication platform to bridge Yunnan and Nepal.

Yang Chenfeng, Director of Yunnan Provincial Commercial Representative Office in Kathmandu, informed that they have executed 9livelihood projects since 2022 including 2Friendly Parks, 3 Solar Power Projects, 2 Public Shower Projects and 2 School Bags Donation Projects in different districts. 

“These two projects will improve the locals’living conditions, generate employment opportunities and also enhance the quality of the city,” Yang remarked. 

The "Yunnan Hand in Hand Project" aims to improve the living standards and the well-being of the local people in Nepal. It is funded by Yunnan People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, supported by Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group, and implemented by Yunnan Provincial Commercial Representative Office in Kathmandu. 

Following the handover, Shree Gopal Maharjan, Ward-3 Chairman, shared that the project reflects Chinese development and could be a great learning for Nepal to implement similar practices in other places.

“There is water crisis in many places acrossKathmandu valley, thus the shower station welcomes public not just from this ward but from the overall capital,” Maharjan remarked.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh, has said the incumbent government was formed to promote political stability in the country.

In his address to a festival reception organised by the Nepali Congress (NC) Chitwan today, he said the government yearns for addressing the public concern by securing political stability and encouraging rule of law. "Our efforts are for consolidating the rule of law," he reiterated.

On a different note, the Nepali Congress leader stressed the need of according priority to the interests of party over individual interests.