PASHUPATI AREA DEVELOPMENT TRUST

The "Great Night of Shiva" is the most sacred festival at Pashupatinath. This festival draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and sadhus from across India and Nepal to worship Lord Shiva through the night. The entire temple complex glows with flames and resonates with chanting. A celestial energy is said to expand across the earth on this auspicious night.

Tihar, Nepal's Festival of Lights, fills the air with the scent of sel roti, the glow of diyas on banana-trunk doorways, and the shimmer of fireworks. Over five days, crows, dogs, cows, oxen, and brothers are each honoured in turn. On Laxmi Puja night, the goddess of wealth is welcomed into every home through offerings of light, incense, and prayer.

The Festival of Horses is celebrated annually with great spectacle. The Nepal Army performs stunning equestrian acrobatics at Tundikhel parade ground. In Patan's Balkumari, a one-eyed horse is raced in traditional observance. In Bhaktapur's Pachpanna Jhyale Durbar, a decorated horse is paraded. The festival is believed to drive away evil spirits.

Holi traces its origins to the Mahabharata and the legend of Prince Prahlada — a devoted Vishnu bhakta whose father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu, forbade worship of any god. When Holika attempted to burn Prahlada, divine protection saved the prince. Colours are sprayed to celebrate the triumph of devotion over darkness.

Maghe Sankranti marks the first day of Magh and the auspicious solar transit into Capricorn. River banks fill with pilgrims taking holy baths in the Bagmati, Koshi, Narayani, and Karnali rivers. At Pashupatinath, the Bagmati ghats witness mass gatherings of devotees seeking blessings for health and prosperity.

Janai Purnima is the sacred full moon festival on which Hindu Brahmin and Chhetri men renew the Janai — the sacred cotton thread worn across the chest. At Pashupatinath, special puja and Janai exchange rituals take place on the ghats. In the Terai, the same occasion is observed as Raksha Bandhan.

Teej is the great festival of Hindu women, rooted in the legend of Parvati who worshipped Shiva with unshakeable devotion. When her father arranged her marriage to Vishnu, Parvati fled to a forest and performed rigorous penance. Shiva, moved by her faith, married her. Today women fast, sing, and dance in red sarees at Pashupatinath.

Chaitra Dashain is considered the original Dashain — the root from which the great Bada Dashain grew. On the ninth day of Chaitra, Goddess Durga aided Lord Rama in slaying the demon Ravana — celebrated as Ram Navami. Special Durga puja, weapon worship, and offerings are made at Pashupatinath.