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Photos: Hindu festival Maha Shivaratri celebrated in Nepal, India

A million people expected to visit temple of Hindu god Shiva on Shivaratri, one of Nepal’s most cherished festivals.

Devotees stand in a queue to enter the Pashupatinath Hindu temple
Devotees stand in a queue to enter the Pashupatinath Hindu temple to offer prayers during the Maha Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. [Niranjan Shreshta/AP Photo]
Published On 1 Mar 2022

Hundreds of thousands of devotees have crowded to worship at a revered Hindu temple in Nepal’s capital as coronavirus cases drop and life returns to normal.

Around a million devotees were expected on Tuesday to visit the temple of Hindu god Shiva on Maha Shivaratri, one of Nepal’s most cherished festivals, as temples, schools and markets have all begun to open up in recent weeks after the number of COVID-19 cases dropped in Nepal.

On Monday, 180 new infections were reported, down from a peak of over 9,000 in January.

The Pashupatinath Temple located in Kathmandu is among the most important Hindu temples and is popular among pilgrims. During the festival, devotees fast all day and visit the temple and take a dip in the Bagmati River.

The festival is also famed for freely smoking marijuana, which is classified as a narcotic and punishable by jail. In the forested area and riverside next to the temple, Hindu holy men were joined by devotees smoking marijuana.

Nepal was famous for marijuana and other narcotics in the 1960s, when hippies made their way to the Himalayan nation. Shops and teahouses used to advertise and sell it legally – until marijuana was outlawed in 1976.

Though still against the law in Nepal, a group of ruling party lawmakers and campaigners are trying to legalise the farming and use of marijuana. Currently, the use of marijuana is punishable by prison sentences of up to a month for users and 10 years for traffickers.

A volunteer offers tea to holy men
A volunteer offers tea to holy men during the Maha Shivaratri festival at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. [Niranjan Shreshta/AP Photo]
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Holy men from India warm themselves sitting next to a bonfire
Holy men from India warm themselves sitting next to a bonfire at Pashupatinath Temple. [Niranjan Shreshta/AP Photo]
Nepalese people throng the Pashupatinath temple premises
Nepalese people throng the Pashupatinath Temple ahead of the annual Maha Shivaratri festival. [Niranjan Shreshta/AP Photo]
Nepalese people throng the Pashupatinath temple premises
During the festival this year, Napalese authorities are expecting very large numbers of devotees at the temple that remained closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Niranjan Shreshta/AP Photo]
Hindu devotees queue up to worship at a temple of Hindu god Shiva during Shivratri festival, in Gauhati, India
Hindu devotees queue up to worship at a temple of Hindu god Shiva during Maha Shivratri festival, in Guwahati in India's Assam state. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Devotees travel on a ferry to Umananda ,behind, a river island in the Brahmaputra that houses a temple of Hindu god Shiva, during Shivratri festival, in Gauhati, India,
Devotees travel by ferry to Umananda, a river island in the Brahmaputra river that houses a temple of Hindu god Shiva, during the Maha Shivratri festival, in Guwahati. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
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Hindu devotees worship Shivling, a representation of Hindu god Shiva, during Shivratri festival in Jammu, India.
Hindu devotees worship the Shiv Linga, a representation of Hindu god Shiva, during the Maha Shivratri festival in Jammu, Indian-administered Kashmir. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]