although i’d gone to pashupati in the last two years, i’d been at the ghat and not the temple itself. it had been a while and so today, i was pleasantly surprised.
they really vamped up the place and installed a system for devotees and visitors. we went from the gaushala side and there was a line of pasals to sell flowers and all the stuff you need for puja, including fossils and photos and beads and …ok, u get it. they were neatly lined up and each store has a number. we got our flowers from shop 25. there aren’t any shops once you enter the ‘yellow’ gate. this way, they’ve kept the vicinity cleaner and tidier.
once inside the yellow gate, u walk up and go to the place to put away ur slippers. i remember leaving our slippers outside the temple gates with pasales and that too with much fear of them being stolen. but now, they have bora ko jholas hanging on this metal pole with hooks. you take a bag and put ur slippers and shoes in it and give it to the people there. like the lockers at bhat bhateni, the guy will hang ur bora ko jhola inside and give u a token. ours was 210. later we returned our token, got our bora ko jhola with slippers. and i placed the bora ko jhola on the hanger for others to use. all this for FREE!!! and ur chappals are safe.
inside, around the main temple were two lines. at first i was scared at the lines, so so long. but surprisingly it was moving quite fast and calmly. the thing is that they have installed these ramps a few meters from the entrance of the temple. people who just want to do ‘darshan’ from far can step on it and look right into the temple and do their prayers and leave. they don’t have to stay in line. previously, everybody would have to fight for a space at the entrance. it used to be a chaos.
so the others who have things to chaudaune, like us, wait in line for our turns. the two lines come from the right and left sides. they are people to make sure you don’t stay for too long at the entrance and give others a chance. it was neat and orderly. i am not much of a temple going person and am awkward because i don’t know what to do…i respect other’s belief, but i don’t really have any religious beliefs.
even so, i offered some flowers and money and was stepping out of the entrance when the guard lady was like ‘eh, nani…yetro line ma basyo…tika nalagai janu lageko? tika lagau jau’. so she stopped and wouldn’t let me go without me getting a tika from this little pujari boy. ‘amazing…’ was what i was thinking…since when did they start to care whether people rightfully got their turns and stuff. hahahahaha it was good though. hahahahhaha
and so that was pashupati today. it was much cleaner than i remember it and people were cleaning all the time. oh yeah and i got to see the main pujaris too. they were all wearing red and were escorted by the armed police force..my oh my! high security. hehehehe. you know there is a chain that dangles inside the entrance. they actually hang on to that and enter inside. they jump in like ninjas.
the architecture and the craftsmanship is something i was admiring for long today. the stone lions and the tiny sculptures of the royal family. i also saw this guy with a packet of ‘sita ram’ milk. offering milk to the stone deities. and this other dude was stuffing a laddoo into Hanuman’s mouth. later this old man came and took out the laddoo…don’t know what he did with it, but he was also collecting rice that had been offered to the gods.
next to the slipper collection place, there is a place to wash ur hands and feet too. a number of dharas…a restroom is nearby. pashupati is so much more organized right now.
with love, from ktm 