KATHMANDU: "I prayed to the Lord Shiva to make room for my deceased husband in heaven and purge all the sins, if any, he committed in his lifetime," Junu Maya Chhetri (63) of Syangja district, said, when asked what she wished for her departed ones on the auspicious occasion of Bala Chaturdashi, today. Junu was undergoing a penance the whole night, lighting oil lamp (Mahadeep) and keeping herself awake throughout the night, praying for her husband's departed soul to rest in heaven. Like Junu, tens of thousands of Hindus from Nepal and India who had lost their near and dear ones over the last one year, worshiped their guardian deity - Pashupatinath -on the occasion. At wee hours of the morning, the devotees strolled along the Slesmantak Forest close to the Pashupatinath Temple, scattering Sat Bij (seven varieties of holy grains, fruits and coins). The devotees, young and elderly alike, went around Panchaganesh, Aadinarayan, Parthilshila, Jayanabgala, Rajrajeshwori, Bhasmeshwor, Kotilingeshwor, Rudrangeshwor, Bashuki Temple, Harineshwor, Bhagalbhugal, Kiranteshwor, Gaurighat, Guheshwori, Gupteshwor, Namobuddha, Bahiro Ganesh, Bishworup and finally to Aryaghat, scattering Sat Bij as per rituals. Every nook and corner of the Pashupatinath area was capped with Sat Bij. Legends have it that, every single grain scattered is as valuable as its weight in gold. Unlike previous years, PADT had made special arrangements for the devotees. According to Sushil Nahata, member secretary of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), an estimated of 200,000 pilgrims visited the holy site. The religious occasion was largely peaceful although some miscreants made an intimidating presence around the holy sites by drinking and selling liquors. According to Metropolitan Police Sector Gaushala, around 50 miscreants were held for their alleged involvement in disrupting law and order. The arrested include pickpockets, drunkards and robbers. However, major incidents were not immediately reported. Thousands of pilgrims had sheltered in makeshift tents. Nepal Red Cross Society and others had provided mobile health services to the devotees.