The Tharu community of Pipladi of Shuklaphanta municipality-3 in Kanchanpur has decided to ban animal slaughter during religious ceremonies.
The Tharu people of Pipladi, who gathered here Monday to discuss the Maghi festival rituals, agreed to discontinue the tradition of animal slaughter during puja/worships citing that such inhumane practice had helped promote cruelness and violence in the society.
The gathering decided to stop the tradition of sacrificing hens, pigs, sheep, goats and ducks on the occasions of the Hareri, Nikasi, Deshbandhya, Asari and Hori worships, the rituals of Tharus, said a local Tharu leader Narendra Prasad Chaudhary.
Animal sacrifice is being practiced during the worships of 18 deities of the Tharu community, but onward this tradition will be stopped and in place of animal, coconut balls, and fruits will be used.
The Tharu people conduct puja in group to pay homage to their deities and the decision to ban animal slaughter will be followed by all the members in the community, he added. "No Hindu religious texts and scriptures has recommended animal sacrifice to make deity (ies) happy and the practice taking place in the name of making divine power happy must be stopped,'' he asserted.
Likewise, the meeting has prohibited the haphazard use of plastic bags in the village, citing its negative impact on environment and on agricultural production.
