On the occasion of Mahashivaratri, about one million devotees from Nepal and India are expected to visit the Pashupatinath temple on Wednesday. Officials of the Pashupati Area Development Trust, who managed the temple, said that about 4,000 sadhus and thousands of devotees are reaching Kathmandu to offer prayers in this fifth century temple on the banks of the Bagmati River.
Mahashivaratri is known as the day of birth of Lord Shiva. Pashupati Trust spokesperson Revathi Officer said that preparations for this grand occasion have almost been completed.
He informed that a total of 10,000 security personnel and 5,000 volunteers will be deployed for the safety and convenience of devotees on this day. He informed that the Pashupatinath Temple Mahashivaratri will open at 2.15 am and arrangements have been made for the devotees to visit the Shivling from the four gates of the temple.
Meanwhile, the Kathmandu District Administration Office has issued a notice to ban the production, sales, consumption and use of liquor, meat and fish around the temple during Mahashivratri.
According to the notice, liquor, meat and fish will be banned from the Pashupatinath temple area and from Monday to Thursday. Any person who violates the rule will be punished. The Himalayas are considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva and there are a large number of Shaivas in Nepal, whose main deity is Lord Shiva.
