Of Pashupatinath Area

The other day when I went to pray at the Temple of Lord Pashupatinath, I was surprised to see the vendors and the beggars occupying both the sides of the pavement from the yellow gate at Gausala to the main entrance of the holy Temple of Lord Pashupatinath. Since the presence of a large number of vendors will not only lead to the pollution of the holy area but also cause disturbance to the devotees’ peace of mind, the concerned authorities should try to regulate their number. Similarly, the beggars, mostly crippled, are becoming a source of great annoyance to the visitors. They not only accost the visitors with their empty begging bowls and also constantly irritate them with their persistent calls for alms. I am not saying that the vendors and beggars should not be allowed in the Pashupatinath Temple area. But surely the pilgrims and devotees do have the right to have an easy and hassle-free access to the Temple of Lord Pashupatinath so that they can derive mental and spiritual peace! As such, it looks to reason for the concerned authorities to come up with the required measures to regulate the presence of the vendors and beggars—at least from a certain portion of the pavement leading to Lord Pashupatinath’s Temple.

Min Prasad Niroula
New Baneshwore,
Kathmandu