By Bhotraj Rai

Udayapur, Sept. 27: The PadulePokhari, a pond located inAamchowk, Bhojpur,offers an enthralling experience to any tourist visiting the site for the first time.
The artistic statue of dog standing inthe middle of the pond is so unique that people from the adjoining districts continue to throng here withmuch curiosity.
Placingsculpture of dog in a touristic site is itself reflects how Nepalis show respect to animals. They worship dogs, cows and oxen in Tihar festivals.
However, they also resort to cruel acts against the stray dogs in the name of controlling their population. Recently, scores of cows were found thrown in a cliff in Surkhet.
But the locals of Aamchowk have paid respect to this voiceless animal by erecting a sculpture in the touristic site.
The PadulePokhari has a pole in the middle of the pond, in which the statue of the dog is placed.
The statue looks unique and artistic, said SamipRai, a local journalist.
“If we will look at the statue minutely we will findmany specialties in it. In the front legs of the dog, there is naag (snake god) in one side and at the other side there is a duck face, whilethe dog hasa frog at its left ear and fish in the right ear,” he added.
The sculpture was carved by Prof. NaradHatalnchaliRai, said Rai, adding that overall the sculpture was very artistic.
There is a popular legend linked with the PadulePokhari.
There was a hunter, who used to visit the pond every day and drink water from the pond. The hunter was always followed by a dog.
But after sometime, the hunter stopped visiting the place but the dog kept visiting the place searching of the hunter.
The dog spent many months at the nearby cave in the hope of seeing the hunter. But he never arrived, said Samip.
The locals said the cave where the dog used to spend its time was very unique. “If we will throw water inside the cave, the water will flow down at the village located two kilometers away from the place.”
Following the same legend, the locals have decided to place the statue of a dog in the PadulePokhari, said Ashok Rai chair of Ward No. 4.