Importance Of Crow In Tihar

Tihar is the second most important Hindu festival in Nepal. It starts with Kaag (crow) Tihar. Kaag Tihar is the first day of Yamapanchak. It's a five-day-long festival that lasts from Kartik Krishna Trayodashi to Kartik Shukla Dwitiya. This festival is dedicated to Yamaraj, the Hindu god of death.

This day also marks the birth anniversary of Lord Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda. In Hindu mythology, crows play an important role. Crows are considered to be the messengers of Yamaraj, connecting Martyaloka (our world) with Yamaloka (the world of the dead). On the first day of Yamapanchak, it is believed that crows come from Yamaloka to the living world. Hence, people perform Kaag Puja by offering sweets and traditional foods to crows.

They believe that this will bring good fortune and luck to their family throughout the year. Crows have significant importance from cultural perspective. We have idioms like Kaag-gaveshan (searching with dedication), Kaag-nyaya (logic) and Kaag-bali (offerings). People offer a portion of their food to crows before eating in many Hindu families.