KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 17The Pashupati Area Development Trust has completed preparations to host tens of thousands of devotees for Mahashivaratri, one of the major festivals of Hindus, which will be marked tomorrow with religious fervour. Sadhus, other devotees flock to Pashupatinath to celebrate Shivaratri Reconstructions of 63 heritages in Pashupati area complete According to the PADT, various sub-committees have been formed to organise the festival in a systematic manner. These sub-committees will look after various aspects such as hassle-free arrangement to help devotees enter inside the temple premises and make security arrangements for the safety of the public.

The PADT, an authorised government body to undertake overall religiousand cultural activities inside the Pashupati area, has also completed lodging and food arrangements for sadhu babas, the ardent followers of Lord Shiva who have come from various parts of Nepal as well as Shiva shrines across India.Authorities said that a larger number of sadhus had already been camping on the temple premises.

The number of devotees is also likely to reach around two million this year, according to the PADT.Police have imposed a ban on the sale, purchase, transportation, storage and consumption of liquor, meat, marijuana and other psychoactive substances on the Pashupatinath temple premises.Plainclothes cops have been keeping vigil on suspectsto prevent the sale, distribution and consumption of marijuana.Police warned that anyone caught trading in marijuana or other psychoactive drugswould be brought to book under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act.

Pashupati area has already been declared a drugfree zone.More than 6,000 security personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepali Army have been deployed in a bid to provide security on the premises of the temple.Emergency health camps, security posts, information centres and temporary toilets have also been set up on the premises of the temple a day before the festival.The PADT said all four gates of the temple would remain open for devotees from 3:00am tomorrow.

Officials have made arrangements for four routes - Battisputali-Gaushala-Pinglasthan-So- thern Gate, Airport-Tilganga-Ram Mandir-Eastern Gate, Mitra Park-Gaurighat- Umakinda-Basuki-Northern Gate and Jayabageshwori-Bhuwaneshwori-Westen Gate - for devotees to enter the temple.Traffic police have declared Chabahil-Mitra Park-Gaushala-Battisputali, Ratopul-Gaushala and Gaurighat road sections no-go zones for vehicles, except for emergency ones.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Army is scheduled to organise a special function at the Army Pavilion, Tundikhel, in Kathmandu, on the occasion of Army Day coinciding with the Mahashivaratri festival, tomorrow.The NA has been celebrating the day of Mahashivaratri as the Army Day since 1935.A version of this article appears in the print on February 18, 2023, of The Himalayan Times. .

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