No religious fair at Gokarneshwor temple

Kathmandu, August 13

A religious fair that takes place each year at Gokarneshwor Mahadev Temple, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on the new-moon-day in the month of Bhadra of the lunar calendar has been cancelled this year due to the COVID crisis.

This year the event falls on August 19. On this day, people pay homage to their deceased parents and ancestors by making offerings amidst special rituals called shraddha.

The day is also observed as Father’s Day and people offer delicacies and pay respects to their living fathers. Gokarneshwor Municipality, Ward No 4 Chairman, Shree Kumar Shrestha, who is also the president of the Gokarneshwor Mahadev Temple Management Committee, said the religious fair had to be cancelled this year due to COVID-19 risk.

According to Shrestha, a meeting of the committee decided to close the temple on Father’s Day, Haritalika and sohra shraddha festivals. The municipality has set up a permanent fund of Rs 7.5 million this year for conducting the daily puja at the temple.

Feature photo: File

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 14, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.