Nepal Embassy in Delhi celebrates Kukur Tihar with garlands and tika for dogs

The Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi hosted a lively celebration of Kukur Tihar on Sunday, honouring dogs as loyal companions during one of the most distinctive days of the country’s Tihar festival.

Chargé d’Affaires Dr Surendra Thapa led the event, joined by members of the Nepali community, diplomats and embassy staff. Dogs present at the gathering were adorned with bright marigold garlands, marked with red tika on their foreheads and offered special treats, in keeping with the day’s traditions.

A group photograph taken at the embassy shows participants in traditional Nepali attire standing with several dogs on a white sheet scattered with flower petals, beneath a banner reading “Celebration of Kukur Tihar”.

Kukur Tihar falls on the second day of the five-day Tihar (also known as Yamapanchak or Deepawali), Nepal’s festival of lights. In 2026, the celebrations run from 7 to 11 November, with Kukur Tihar observed on 8 November alongside Laxmi Puja in the evening.

According to tradition, dogs are revered as messengers and guardians linked to Yama, the god of death, who is believed to be accompanied by canine sentinels at the gates of the underworld. Households across Nepal, and Nepali communities abroad, apply tika, place flower garlands around dogs’ necks and feed them favoured foods such as rice, meat, eggs and sweets. Both pet dogs and strays are included in the observances.

The Nepal embassy gathering shows the wider practice of the Nepali diaspora in India marking the festival. Similar scenes of garlanded dogs have been widely shared from Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal on the same day, underscoring the festival’s popularity.

For many participants, the embassy event offered a way to maintain cultural ties while living away from home. Organisers described the day as an expression of gratitude toward animals that have long been part of Nepali households and folklore.