Kathmandu, September 3:

Showering their fathers with sweets, gifts, love, and respect, Hindus celebrated the Kuse Aunsi, also called the Gokarna Aunsi, today. Those bereaved of fathers visited the Gokarneswor Mahadev in Gokarna and paid their homage by performing shraddha, the annual death ritual. The Kuse Aunsi, a festival in a series of holidays, is marked to strengthen the bond between fathers and offspring. The Nepali religion, tradition and culture consider father as a pillar of strength. Married daughters express their respect and love to their fathers by offering them sweets and gifts.

“The Father’s day is celebrated all over the world different ways,” Satya Mohan Joshi, a cultural expert, said, adding: “The Kushe Aunsi is observed to pay respect to fathers.” “On the Kuse Aunsi, the orphaned children pay home to their fathers by performing rituals at the Gokarneswor Mahadev temple.” According to a legend, Lord Shiva once used to roam in the Pashupatinath forest in the guise of a one-horned golden deer. The Shiva revealed himself when Lord Bishnu, Bramha, and Indra held him by the horn when they knew that Shiva was playing a trick with them.

While Bishnu and Indra took two pieces of the broken horn to Vaikuntha and Sworga, the heaven, the Brahma installed the third piece at the sacred site of Gokarneswor. The following day, gods and goddesses came to take a bath at the Bagmati River and paid homage to Shiva. Thus began the tradition of worshipping the forefathers at Gokarna.