Kathmandu, March 19:

People from diverse religious sects today performed different activities to “protect themselves” from the “harmful effects” of solar eclipse.

The Hindus went to rivers and bathed during the eclipse period. Over 1,000 people went to the Bagmati river this morning to get “purified.”

Over 200 Brahmins chanted Chandi, Beda, Mritunjaya slokas at the Pashupati area. The Hindus believe that the eclipse pollutes the environment.

Chanting mantras, the Hindus requested the almighty to protect them from the harmful effects of the eclipse.

Pandit Lal Prasad Adhikari, a member of the Rastriya Jyotish Bigyan Sewa Samiti, said: “The period of the eclipse is unholy. People should bath thrice during an eclipse — when it begins, midway through the eclipse and when it ends.”

“Moreover, people should keep on worshipping gods and chant religious hymns and donate things to the needy to get rid of the bad impact of the planets,” he said, adding that it is harmful to eat during the period.

The Muslim community also worshipped the almighty and prayed for world peace. Mohammad Nizamuddin, chairman of the Awam Sahara Nepal, said: “Islam believes in the

direct effect of planets on human beings. We prayed to the almighty, donated things to the needy and performed humanitarian deeds.”

Buddhism stresses the need to do good work during the eclipse period. According to Khempo P Dorje Lama, the effect of human deeds gets multiplied 1,000 times during the eclipse period.

To get rid of sins, people should help others and perform humanitarian deeds. Buddhist people released animals and birds from cages today. Lamas worshipped, prayed and lit butter lamps at their monasteries.

However, the Christian community takes the eclipse as a scientific phenomenon and nothing else. Father Justin Lepcha of the Assumption Church said Christianity views eclipses as a rule of nature, and views it as a scientific phenomenon.