Army, APF and Nepal Police mark Kukur Tihar with K9 demonstrations and worship (photo feature)

While Dipawali is widely known around the world, Nepal observes Kukur Tihar alongside the festival of lights, with the second day of Tihar dedicated to worshiping and honoring dogs, beyond their loyalty and service

A photo collage of security agencies celebrating Kukur Tihar today (November 8, 2026)

KATHMANDU: The Army, Armed Police Force (APF) Nepal and Nepal Police marked Kukur Tihar, the second day of the Tihar festival, on Sunday by worshiping their trained canine units (K9) and showcasing the dogs’ skills through demonstrations and training exercises.

The celebrations highlighted the role of dogs in security operations, where their abilities in detection, tracking, search and rescue, and protection support the work of security personnel.

The Army organized a special dog show at Bhairab Bahan Company in Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur. The unit, which maintains 88 trained dogs, performed traditional worship rituals and demonstrated the canines’ operational capabilities, including search and identification, tracking, security, apprehension and suspicious-object detection.