Kathmandu, 14 September (H.S.): A large number of women observing the Haritalika Teej fast gathered at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu from early Monday morning to offer prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Pashupatinath.

According to the Pashupati Area Development Trust, all four gates of the temple were opened at 3 a.m. to facilitate the entry of fasting women and other devotees visiting the temple on the occasion of Haritalika Teej.

Four separate routes have been arranged to manage the movement of devotees and ensure orderly access to the temple. Tirtha Shrestha, member secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust, said the arrangements were designed to ease congestion and provide devotees with a smoother passage to the temple.

Under the first route, devotees are being guided from Mitrapark through Umakunda, Dakshinamurti and Kailash Badrinarasimha Bhawan to the northern gate of Vasukinath. From there, they are taken to the northern ramp of the Pashupatinath Temple for darshan before being directed out through the western gate.

The second route begins from Jayabageshwari and passes through Dathutol, Pacha Ganesh and Annapurna Bhandar. Devotees are then guided across the overhead bridge in front of the Mahasnan Ghar towards Bhuwaneswari and Nasal Chowk before reaching another overhead bridge in front of Shankaracharya Math.

From there, devotees enter through a smaller gate under police supervision and proceed in two queues to the wooden ramp on the western side of the Pashupatinath Temple. After offering prayers, they leave through the western gate.

The third route has been arranged for devotees arriving from Sinamangal and the airport area. They are directed through the gate near the Tilganga Tourism Counter, along the Ram Temple and the Bagmati River, and across the Aryaghat bridge towards Brahmanal.

Devotees then reach the ramp at the eastern gate, where they can have darshan of the eastern form of Lord Pashupatinath before exiting through the same gate.

For devotees arriving from Pingalasthan, entry has been arranged through the gate at Pingalasthan. From there, they are guided through a temporary overhead bridge near the large gate south of the Char Shivayalaya and Panchadeval Elderly Home.

Devotees then proceed through the smaller gate towards Chaunsatthi Kotilingeshwar to have darshan of the southern form of Lord Pashupatinath. They exit through the western side of the Unmatta Bhairav Temple and in front of the Mool Bhatta residence.

According to the trust, devotees were able to join the queues without significant difficulty during the morning hours. Fasting women were generally able to complete their darshan and return after waiting in line for around 30 minutes.

Despite rainfall in the morning, the enthusiasm of the women devotees remained undiminished. Many continued to wait patiently in the queues to offer prayers and seek blessings at the revered Pashupatinath Temple on the occasion of Haritalika Teej.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar