Gai Tihar (Laxmi Puja)
गाई पूजा / लक्ष्मी पूजा
November 9, 2026 · Kartik 23, 2083 BS
Nationwide
Plan a trip around Gai Tihar (Laxmi Puja)History & origin
Cows hold a sacred status across Hindu tradition and are identified here directly with Laxmi; the evening lighting ritual draws on the wider South Asian Diwali tradition of illuminating homes to guide the goddess of prosperity inside, while driving away Alakshmi, misfortune, from the threshold.
How it’s celebrated
Cows are garlanded, given tika and fed treats in the morning. By evening, households clean and decorate their homes with rangoli-style patterns at the entrance, line doorways and rooftops with oil lamps (diyo) and candles, and perform Laxmi Puja at the family shrine; children and young people go door to door in groups singing bhailo songs in exchange for small gifts of money or sweets.
Tips for visitors
Laxmi Puja night is genuinely beautiful — homes and streets lit with oil lamps and string lights across every neighborhood in the country.
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