Increased Activity at Pashupatinath Temple Ahead of Mahashivaratri Amidst Election Period

Kathmandu. The area around Pashupatinath is bustling with ascetics and devotees arriving from afar on the occasion of the Mahashivaratri festival. A fair has gathered at the Pashupatinath area due to the presence of ascetics and devotees from both within the country and abroad.

On the occasion of Mahashivaratri, there is also a rush of people offering free health camps, free food services, drinking water, tea, and other services. Some have already started their services, while others are preparing to do so. Officials and employees of the Pashupati Area Development Trust are actively working on-site to prepare for Mahashivaratri.

Shridhar Sapkota, the treasurer of the Trust, who was deployed for an on-site inspection of the Hansamandap area, stated that special attention has been given to cleanliness this year. He mentioned that the Trust is engaged in effective management for the ascetics and devotees coming to the Pashupatinath area. He informed that an estimated four thousand to four thousand five hundred ascetics are expected to arrive this year.

The Trust has indicated that more ascetics are expected this year compared to last year. However, according to the treasurer Sapkota, volunteer organizations providing services in the Pashupatinath area observed fewer people arriving at the Pashupatinath area the day before compared to previous years.

Binod Leela Agrawal, who is engaged in food service at Hansamandap, noted this afternoon that fewer devotees have arrived this year compared to previous years. He speculated that the movement of people might be less due to the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21.

The Pashupatinath area has been specially decorated for Mahashivaratri. It has been made attractive by decorating it extensively with garlands of flowers.

Cleaning along the banks of the Bagmati River in the Aryaghat and Ram Mandir areas

The 666th week of the Bagmati Cleaning Mega Campaign was conducted on the riverbank below Ram Mandir in the Pashupatinath area, under the slogan 'Two Hours of Volunteer Service for the Nation per Week'. As preparation for the Mahashivaratri festival on Sunday, Falgun 3, cleaning was carried out along the riverbanks in the Ram Mandir and Aryaghat areas of Pashupatinath.

Campaign activist Kishorsingh Shahi informed that the cleaning in that area today was carried out actively by Ramshwar Sangat, a member of the Trust's Board of Directors, along with employees, Hiralal Tandukar, Chairman of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-11, Sarita Rai, Head of the Metropolitan Environment Department, Min Bahadur Thapa, Head of Metropolitan Teku, along with employees, employees of the Empowered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, as well as elected representatives and local residents.

He also informed that approximately 18 metric tons of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste were managed from that area during today's cleaning.