KATHMANDU, July 20: Thousands of devotees thronged the Pashupatinath Temple on the first Monday of the Hindu holy month of Shrawan to offer prayers to Lord Shiva.
Shrawan is regarded as the most sacred month dedicated to Lord Shiva in the Hindu calendar, and every Monday during the month attracts large numbers of worshippers to Shiva temples across Nepal.
The Pashupati Area Development Trust said it has made special arrangements to ensure safe, orderly, and convenient worship for devotees. Officials and staff of the Trust, along with personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepali Army, Traffic Police, Kathmandu Metropolitan Police, the temple security unit, and several religious and social organizations have been deployed to manage the crowds.
Devotees flock to Pashupatinath Temple on first Monday of Shraw...
According to the Trust, the temple has been prepared to accommodate hundreds of thousands of devotees throughout the day in a safe and well managed environment.
All four gates of the Pashupatinath Temple were opened to devotees from 3:00 am. The temple will remain open until 8:00 pm, after the evening aarti. Special worship rituals will be conducted only between 8:30 am and 12:00 noon.
The Trust has also arranged first aid services and other essential facilities for visitors.
Besides Pashupatinath, long queues of devotees were reported at other Shiva temples in the Kathmandu Valley, including Gokarneshwar, Nageshwar, Doleshwar, and Makhan Mahadev, often referred to as the "Little Pashupatinath" in the Basantapur Durbar area.
Shiva temples across the country also witnessed large gatherings of devotees offering prayers on the first Monday of Shrawan.
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