Maha Shivaratri Festival Being Observed Across Nepal Today

The Maha Shivaratri festival, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is being celebrated with fervor across the country today.

This festival falls on Falgun Krishna Chaturdashi—the fourteenth day of the waning moon in the Nepali month of Falgun— and the day is regarded as the most auspicious for the worship of Lord Shiva. Since early morning, devotees have been taking ritual baths in rivers and ponds before visiting Shiva temples to offer prayers.

In light of the occasion, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has opened all four gates of the Pashupatinath Temple from 2:00 a.m. to manage the massive influx of devotees. Last year, the temple premises witnessed over one million visitors on Maha Shivaratri.

For this year’s festival, the PADT has set up three external lines for darshan (worship) at the main temple. One line begins from Mitrapark–Gaurighat and Umakund–Dakshinamurti, proceeding via the Rudragadeshwar North Gate. A second line starts from Battisputali–Gaushala and Tribhuvan International Airport–Tilganga, passing through Pingalasthan–Sumargi Bhawan and the Panchdeval temples before entering via the South Gate. A third line on the west side leads from the footpath area through the Banikali forest.

Inside the main temple premises, three internal lines from the north and south and four from the west have been organized for smooth crowd movement.

Parking facilities have been arranged at Sifal, Tilganga, the area beyond Guheshwari, the PADT office, and Banakali.

Devotees have also been visiting other prominent Shiva shrines across the Kathmandu Valley, including Gokarneshwor and Doleshwar Mahadev. Outside the capital as well, celebrations are underway with devotees offering prayers and participating in religious observances with great devotion. -- RSS