BHAKTAPUR, July 30, 2013: Thousands of devotees poured into the Sipadole-based Doleshwor Temple in Bhaktapur to offer puja to Lord Shiva on the second Monday of the Nepali month of Shrawan. Devotees regard Doleshwor as the head of the Kedarnath, whose shrine is in Uttarakhand of India. 

After last month’s flooding and landslides in Uttarakhand, that brought puja to a halt at the Kedarnath Temple, temple authorities at the Sipadole-based shrine have been conducting special puja since July 22. Because of this, the number of devotees visiting the Doleshwor Mahadev temple has increased this year compared to previous years. 

Mondays of the month of Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August) are considered sacred. Married women fast on Mondays of the month wishing for longevity of their husbands, while unmarried women fast for better health and success in life. Men also fast on Mondays hoping to receive blessings from Lord Shiva. 

Tulasa Adhikari from Lokanthali, Bhaktapur, said, “I had never been here (to Doleshwor) before. I came here today to observe the special puja dedicated to Kedarnath.” 

She said, “Thousands of people have gathered at the temple. I had to queue up for four hours to offer puja.” She said there were more devotees at Doleshwor than at the Pashupatinath Temple today. 

Muiya KC from Imadol, Lalitpur, said she was surprised to see a huge number of devotees at Doleshwor. 

She said, “On Mondays of Shrawan, I used to visit the Pashupatinath to offer puja. This time, I came to Doleshwor after recognition of the shrine as the head of Kedarnath. I was amazed when I saw a huge crowd at the shrine.” 

Locals have formed a Doleshwor Protection and Development Committee (DPDC) to look after the temple and its activities. After Doleshwor got recognised as the head of Kedarnath, the government has prepared a master plan to improve infrastructure at the shrine and promote religious tourism. 

Kiran Thapa, acting president, DPDC, said temple authorities need to construct a new temple dedicated to Doleshwor Mahadev in view of increasing number of devotees. He said, “We also need to conduct a study on archaeological importance of the shrine and develop infrastructure so that devotees can visit this place easily.”

Source: The Himalayan, DT. July 30, 2013.