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Shiva Ratri: Festival For Both Nepal, Indian Devotees
A huge influx of tourists and pilgrims flood Kathmandu

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	▲ The temple of Pashupati Nath

	ⓒ2006 Tra. Guide

A few days ago there was agile merriment in the environs of the great temple of Pashupati Nath, Kathmandu, in anticipation of the great festival Shiva Ratri. Varieties of hermits, called Sadhu, Sanyasi, Mahatma, Babagi, Yogi, Jogi, Fakir, Giri, etc., take up residence near the temple, filling the air with the smoke of hemp and hashish.

There is normally a taboo against such substances as hemp and hashish, but this is a special day, and neither the police nor the Pashupati Area Development Fund is down on such things but regard them as the boon of Lord Shiva.

Shiva Ratri, or Shiva Night, is a 24 hour exaltation of Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction. The golden-tiered temple at Debpatan is dedicated exclusively to Shiva, as the lord of the creatures, and is very well known as Pashupati Nath.

All year the temple of Pashupati Nath attracts pilgrims, begging ascetics, devotees, and mendicants. On Shiva Ratri, however, thousands of visitors begin arriving a few days ahead of time from India or the hot plains of south Nepal, called Terai. Orthodox Hindus bathe or at least splash a little in the river Bagmati down below before entering the temple, doing homage to the scattered lingams inside the main temple.

Devotees have to queue for six to eight hours to get inside the temple arena of Lord Pashupati to extend their offerings and worship, for only five seconds, on this special day.



▲ Environment of Pashupati Nath at the festival of Shiva Ratri

ⓒ2006 Tra. Guide

Although this worship is specific to Nepal, it is equally important to Indians as well. Thus, it is amazing to witness the high population of devotees and worshippers on this occasion who enter the capital city as tourists or pilgrims. It is a great day, which witnesses the blending of these two south Asian nationalities.

The royal family takes part in the afternoon rites at the Tudikhel parade ground, founded by the Gurkha army, with a 31-gun-salute at the end. The king and his associates pay their intense respects to Lord Shiva in the evening, when the whole tempo of the activity there has picked up.

Commercial activity also is in high gear, with merchants hawking everything from decorative items to kitchenware, which can be easily seen in any religious fair. Many more people gather to buy the necessities.

Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple, so the hundreds of foreigners get busy setting up tents in the courtyards of the temples on the opposite bank, where non-Hindus are allowed to freely wander about and observe the festival.

Several decades back, during the Rana dynasty [ended in 1951 – ED.], Indians were allowed to remain in the valley for a few days for this holy purpose and still needed to obtain special permission from by the Nepalese authorities. The Indian Hindus call Shiva "Sambhu" as well. It is believed that those Indians take the chill of Nepal with tem when they return to India, i.e., this festival marks the end of the winter season.



	▲ A baba smoking hemp in Shiva Ratri

	ⓒ2006 Trekking

Public bonfires appear in many courtyards and crossroads, either in the evening or at midnight. It is accordingly fairly common to find bits of timber being stolen here and there. Theft of this kind is tolerated on this night as a form of religious practice. This custom is observed every year. It is also believed that anger, greed, delusion, and pride will burn along with the bonfire.

After worshipping Lord Pashupati, during Shiva Ratri all sins will be absolved, purifying the body and soul together. This faith of the devotees lends significance to Pashupati Nath and the festival of Shiva Ratri.

The Pashupati Area Development Fund has estimated that visitors for Shiva Ratri can number more than 50,000, but, owing to the conflict and political disturbances in Nepal, the number could be less than for previous Shiva Ratris.

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