Hindu devotees sow holy seeds in Nepal's Pashupatinath temple in memory of departed souls

Thousands of Hindu devotees from across Nepal have thronged in the iconic Pashupatinath temple area from early morning on Thursday to observe the Bala Chaturdashi festival to honour their deceased family members.

The festival is the 14th day after the full moon and falls every year in late November or early December. The day is marked in honour of the deceased members of the family where devotees scatter seven different kinds of seeds.

In Pashupatinath temple, the devotees observed penance the whole night from Wednesday last night and took holy dips next morning before sowing the seeds.

The holy seeds of paddy, maize, wheat, barley and others are sown at Kailash, Gaurighat, Aryaghat, and Guheswori of Pashupati area, and Panchase, Galeshwor and Lord Shiva's shrines across the country.

As per the Hindu mythology, one's ancestors will rest in heaven if such seeds are sown in the shrines of the Lord Shiva after lighting the lamps in their memory on the night of Marga Krishna Trayodashi.

In order to assist the devotees, the Pashupati Area Development Trust has arranged tents and other basic facilities, said chief of the Trust Dr Pradeep Dhakal.