Now Pashupatinath temple will be open from morning to evening

Kathmandu,

The Pashupatinath temple will be open for visitors from 6 am to evening as usual from Mahashivaratri. The temple was closed to visitors for nine months on Chaitra 11 last year due to the Corona epidemic.

Arrangement has been made to open only the west gate of Pashupatinath Main Temple from 6 am to 2 pm on Push 1 and maintain physical distance between the two lines. Arrangements will be made to open all the four doors of Pashupati from Mahashivaratri.

Until Chaitra 11 last year, the temple was open from 5 am to 7 pm. It is customary to close the main temple till 5 pm after offering Pashupatinath in the afternoon. The fund has stated that preparations have started from Mahashivaratri according to this tradition.

The Pashupati Area Development Fund has started preparations to attract more devotees to the Pashupatinath temple this year, even though the Corona epidemic continues. Director Bhola Prasad Sitaula informed that a discussion was held between the branch and branch chief of the fund today for preparation. The fund has estimated that many devotees will come to Mahashivaratri this year as a golden jalahari was placed on the pedestal under the Jyotirlinga of Pashupatinath main temple last Wednesday.

The fund has stated that it is holding discussions with the security agencies for the preparation of Mahashivaratri. As the risk of corona remains high this year, masks and sanitizers have been made mandatory for devotees coming to the Pashupati area on Mahashivaratri.

Member Secretary Dr Pradip Dhakal said that the fund has appealed to the devotees to adopt health protection methods even though it seems uncomfortable to maintain physical distance. On the day of Mahashivaratri, devotees will be lined up from four places as in previous years. He said that physical distance will be maintained inside the main temple.

Preparations have been made to set up health camps in different places of Pashupati area in collaboration with various organizations. In collaboration with Guthi Sansthan, arrangements are also being made for the saints coming to Pushpati on Mahashivaratri to eat, stay and wake up. Arrangements will be made to distribute sandalwood to the visitors easily.

Dr. Ghanshyam Khatiwada, executive director of the fund, said that a special puja will be started from Mahashivaratri. Due to the Corona epidemic, the special puja was closed from April last year.

He also said that preparations have been made to make the devotees who have come under the leadership of the fund visit them by adopting the method of health security.