The Pashupati Aarti: A spectacle to Behold

Musical Aarti is performed every evening in 36 places including Pashupatinath of Nepal. A Hindu religious ceremony in which lights with wicks soaked in ghee are lit and offered up to one or more deities is called Arati. Aarti is being performed in 10 places of various temples within the Kathmandu Valley itself.

 The first of these Aarti was started in the Pashupati area. It has been 14 years since Ganga Aarti started in the Pashupati area. A total of 55 minutes of Aarti is performed every evening in front of Pashupatinath temple. An organization called Shree Pashupatinath and Bagmati Ganga Musical Evening Aarti has been performing Aarti like this every evening. The Government of Nepal has also provided assistance to the fund established by the organization for its long-term operation. The government has so far provided assistance of Rs 3 million to the organization. Similarly, devotees have also been contributing financially to the fund. About Rs 18 million has been deposited in the fund so far, said Durga Prasad Khatiwada, General Secretary of the organization. 

Devotees perform Aarti on auspicious occasions such as their birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and family anniversaries. Some have even taken vows towards the Aarti. Anyone who wants to perform Aarti there has to pay 15 hundred rupees. After that, the necessary puja materials as well as all the arrangements including the remuneration provided to the Hindu priest called Pandits are arranged by the organizing body of the Aarti.

In this Aarti, up to 20 people perform Aarti on one day and there may not be any person performing Aarti on another day. But even though there are no people coming to perform Aarti, it is not stopped throughout the year. Especially on Shivaratri, Shravan Monday, those who perform Aarti are under the scrutiny of thousands of people.

Earlier, worship was held on the Bagmati River for half an hour. After that, puja is also performed at the place where Aarti is performed, then the Aarti starts. Three Pandits have been performing Aarti. Special training is given to the Pandits involved in Aarti. Aarti is based on a musical rhythm. The psalm continues gradually. There is also dancing by the devotees seen.

Artists from Nepal and sometimes even India have come and danced there.

On special occasions, dancers who perform the Tandav dance, Kathak, Bharatanatyam have been invited. Secretary General Khatiwada informed that some people have requested to present a similar program in the upcoming Shivaratri. A total of 9 people participate in this Aarti every day.

The organizing body has been providing a remuneration to all of them.

Plenty of people gather daily to watch the Aarti and tens of thousands of people attend the festivals.

The institute has been training other religious places to perform Aarti as per the need and also sending people when needed . Apart from Pashupati, daily aartis are held at Talabarahi in Pokhara, Narayani river bank in Narayanghat, Devghat, Chatradham in Sunsari and Trivenidham.