Devotees throng Pashupatinath on first Monday of Shrawan (Photos)

Kathmandu, July 20

Today, the first Monday of the month of Shrawan this year, has drawn crowds of devotees since early morning to the Pashupatinath Temple and Shiva temples across the country.

According to Tirtha Shrestha, Member Secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust, arrangements have been made for darshan by opening all four gates of the Pashupatinath Temple from 3 am. Having opened from 3 am, all four gates of the temple will remain open until 8 pm at night, after the evening aarati. The special puja, however, will run from 8:30 am to 12 noon.

Devotees are lining up to worship at the Pashupatinath Temple. The Trust says it has made the necessary arrangements to ensure smooth, safe, and well-managed darshan and the special puja for devotees. However, Member Secretary Shrestha said that due to delays in appointing officials and a shortage of manpower, not all the required work could be carried out as needed.

To make the darshan management effective, the Trust’s officials and staff have been mobilised along with the Temple Security Group, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, the Nepal Army, Traffic Police, the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police, and various religious and social organisations.

Along with Pashupatinath, crowds of devotees have also gathered since early morning at other Shiva temples in the Kathmandu Valley, including Gokarneshwar, Nageshwar, Doleshwar, and Makhan Mahadev, known as the “Sano Pashupatinath” (Small Pashupatinath), located in the Basantapur Durbar area. Likewise, devotees have also gone to Shiva temples across the country for worship and darshan.

There is a religious belief that observing the fast and puja on Shrawan Mondays brings family happiness and peace, and helps one find a suitable spouse.

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