By Bishnu Prasad Aryal
KATHMANDU, Feb. 27: They come in all hues, appearances and semblance. Their rugged appearances, matted hair, and body smeared with ash make them the perfect disciple of Lord Shiva. There will be droves of them at Pashupati during Shivaratri, the night of Lord Shiva this Saturday (March 1), displaying strange and bizarre conduct and behaviour.
These people have renounced all the worldly pleasures and comforts and want to find solace by praying to Lord Shiva and in hemp and marijuana and making wild merriment a la replication of the Dynossiac culture of medieval Greece.
They are treated as guests and housed and fed for free. Elaborate preparations have been made to cater to thousands of their tribe who will be visiting the Pashupatinath temple for the festival.
The Pashupati Area Development Trust is making elaborate preparation to make the pilgrims feel at home and to provide them whatever they need.
Ram Prasad Dahal, co-ordinator of the publicity sub-committee under the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), said more than 200,000 pilgrims and other visitors are expected for Shivaratri this year - twice more than last year. The number of people coming for Shivaratri had gone down in the last few years. But this year, because of the peace in the country, their number is expected to double.
He said there should be separate arrangements for accommodating the Sadhus and the beggars.
Sadhus are welcome lots. But there will be beggars as uninvited guests. Hundreds of beggars have already arrived - some of them in unimaginably wretched state. They are found all over the Pashupati area with hopes for generosity from the devotees who come there. For most of them it is good business.
Dahal said that the beggars always outnumber the Sadhus. Still by treating them as pilgrims we will do whatever we can.
The Trust keeps records of the sadhus so that they can be managed. Last year there were more than 900 sadhus, and over 1,000 beggars, according to the committee, who visited the Pashupatinath Temple during the festival.
In the last few gone years, the number of visitors was decreasing due to the violence and other hurdles. However, it is estimated that the number of sages alone will exceed 2,000 this year, said Dahal. More than 549 sages and yogis have already arrived. The Naga Babas (naked sages), one of the attractions of Shivaratri, from India have been coming from today, said Dahal.
The Sadhus are provided with logs for bonfire during the cold February nights and marijuana as a 'prasad' of Lord Shiva while they remain here. When they leave, they are bid farewell with rudrakshya, clothes and cash ranging from Rs. 200 to Rs. l,000. "Important sadhus are also presented with chamars (tails of Yak) and bells," said Dahal.
The accommodation facilities will be provided free to all the sages and beggars during the 3-day celebration lasting from Friday to Sunday. The PADT has allocated Rs. 1.2 million to purchase wood to perform bonfire as a ritual, informed Dahal.
The sages and the beggars will be settled separately, and that will be managed by the PADT and other organisations from the private sectors. All the necessary security facilities will be provided to the visitors. For that, security posts and camps will be set up mobilising the police and the army to control possible mob violence in the adjoining areas of Pashupatinath Temple.
A 301-member Main Committee chaired by Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Kuber Prasad Sharma, a 25 member monitoring committee co-ordinated by Ram Prasad Dahal and 13 other sub-committees have been formed to facilitate the devotees and visitors.
This feature news was published on THE RISING NEPAL daily, Kathmandu Friday February 28, 2003 Falgun 16, 2059.
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