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| Kathmandu, Saturday March 01, 2003 Falgun 17, 2059. |
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Pashupati all set for
Mahashivaratri
By Bikash Sangraula
KATHMANDU, Feb 28: From Friday midnight,
devotees of Lord Shiva, one of the three supreme gods of the Hindus, will be forming
serpentine queues beginning from Gaushala area south-east of Pashupatinath temple. There
is reason for that. Mahashivaratri, the greatest festival of Lord Shiva, is expected to
attract an estimated 250,000 pilgrims from Nepal and India and thus the wait can be
endless.
According to Raj Kumar Regmi, co-ordinator of
advertisement and promontions sub-committee of the festival, the entrance will be strictly
regulated. From Gaushala to Bankali, to Char Shivalaya, then to Panchadeval is the only
route to the famous abode of the lord. Buses and other heavy vehicles will have to be
parked at the Tilganga Eye Hospital premises. For those with passes, ward police office of
Gaushala and the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) premises will offer parking
facility.
The crowd gathered at Gaushala will offer a
formidable challenge to the 1,500 volunteers and around 1,200 armed security personnel
stationed in the area to ensure smooth proceedings of the celebrations. For ordering the
proceedings, PADT finished up barricading entrances today evening with strong bamboos that
will guide the pilgrims from Panchadeval to the eastern, western and southern entrances of
the famous temple.
The Mahashivaratri festivities formally kicked
off yesterday afternoon after a rhododendron was planted at the Dev Uddyan at the PADT
premises. Innumerable half-naked sadhus from India lighted camp-fire inside the temple
premises from yesterday, and will be continuing their ‘worship’ and ‘abandon’
till Sunday noon. Similarly, the cremation area on the banks of Bagmati river has
attracted many aghori sadhus.
According the PADT sources, more than 1,500
sadhus of various types have already gathered around the temple. More are expected to
arrive by tomorrow, the main day of the festival. Similarly, around four thousand pilgrims
benefited yesterday night from the makeshift shelters that have, in total, a capacity to
shelter over 40,000 pilgrims. By tomorrow night, the shelters are expected to burst at
their seams.
Today afternoon, the Marwadi community presented
a cultural programme ‘Ek Sham Bhole Ke Naam’ in the area, which will continue
till Sunday afternoon. The programme will feature bhajans and religious discourses from
various pandits and sadhus.
Similarly, the ninth Mahashivaratri World Music
Festival 2003, kicked off at the Bhrikuti Mandap today. The festival will feature 25
popular music bands who will enthrall the audience in Kathmandu today and tomorrow and
will continue its auditory exploits in Pokhara for the next two days.
Considering the huge expected turnout of
pilgrims, PADT has made sure that food supply does not fall short. In addition to
acquiring piles of ration, PADT has also arranged for free cafeterias providing breakfast
and lunch to the pilgrims. For attending to health emergencies, PADT and around 60 partner
organizations have set up over 30 free health camps around the area, that will be
operational around the clock during the festival.
With all meticulous arrangements and around
fifty makeshift shelters erected for the festival, the whole area has acquired a medieval
aura. Apart from the risks of being pickpocketed and brushed roughly time and again by the
crowd, the Pashupatinath temple is surely the hottest site to visit this weekend. And if
you can strike up a conversation with a scantily clad sadhu, all the better for a unique
experience.
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