Page:Picturesque Nepal.djvu/201

 The day succeeding the "Kaka boli" is known as the "Swana boh," and this is observed by every dog in the streets being not only fed, but decorated with garlands and parts painted with vermilion. Every kindness and attention is shown to the wandering pariah dog, unfortunately for this one day only, the "dog day" of Nepal. The origin of this performance may be traced to the Hindu epic, the "Mahabharata," containing the account of Draupadi and his dog. This animal is supposed to have been an incarnation of Dharma raja, the divine judge, and this seems to suggest "the faithful hound" of Odysseus, with whose story "the poetry of the world begins."

From the Festival it is not a far cry to the Pilgrimage—

Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,

My staff of truth to walk upon,

My scrip of joy immortal diet:

My bottle of salvation.