Crowd of pilgrims in Kagbeni, Mustang

Mustang, 29 March: The number of religious pilgrims has increased at Kagbeni Dham in Waragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality-4 of the district. The number of devotees has increased at the holy religious place of Mustang, Kagbeni, today on the day of Chait Dashain Krishna Aunsi.

It has been a popular belief that bathing in the Triveni River along with worshipping, Shraddha, Pindadan and Tarpan in the name of the deceased ancestors once in a lifetime in Kagbeni, the holy religious gathering place of Mustang, will lead to religious salvation. This is the reason why there is a large number of religious pilgrims who perform Shraddha at Kagbeni Dham every year on the dates of Wada Dashain Aunsi and Chaite Dashain Aunsi.

As the Krishna Aunsi Tithi before Chaite Dashain this year has begun today, thousands of devotees in Mustang have taken a bath in the Kaligandaki Dobhan to pay homage to their deceased ancestors and offered Pindadan and Tarpan in their name. The District Police Office has stated that 12,412 religious pilgrims have entered Mustang in the last 24 hours targeting Chaite Dashain Aunsi.

Surya Bahadur Bogati, Police Chief of the District Police Office and Deputy Superintendent of Police, informed that 1,580 vehicles carrying pilgrims have entered Mustang via Myagdi in the last 24 hours. He mentioned that the program to perform Shraddha of pilgrims in the Kagbeni area, which started this morning, was completed smoothly and peacefully.

Earlier, the influx of pilgrims coming to perform Shraddha in Kagbeni in Mustang had caused problems in traffic management in Jomsom, Marfa, Kagbeni and Muktinath areas of Mustang. Under the direction of the District Police, a team of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and District Traffic Office facilitated traffic management in Jomsom, Kagbeni and Muktinath areas.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Bogati informed that the pilgrims who came here performed Shraddha in the name of the deceased ancestors and returned safely after visiting the Muktinath temple. “The district was filled with pilgrims since Friday afternoon, no one who came to perform Shraddha had any problem getting sick,” he said, “The security agencies were alert and a help room was set up. No one has had any health problems here so far.” It is mentioned in

Hindu religious scriptures that when the Kaligandaki River flowing from the Damodkunda religious site in Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality of Mustang meets the Gandaki River flowing from 108 streams of the famous religious site Muktinathdham at Kagbeni Dham, the confluence of the Kaligandaki River flowing from the Damodkunda religious site and the Gandaki River flowing from 108 streams of the famous religious site Muktinathdham, one can offer Shraddha, Pindadan and Tarpan in the name of the deceased ancestors and offer them prayers.

There is a religious legend that the gods and goddesses yearn for water at the Kagbeni Sangam of this place. Black Shaligram is found on the banks of the Kaligandaki River in Kagbeni and red Shaligram is found in the Gandaki River flowing from Muktikshetra. There is a religious belief that Shaligram, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, resides here. In addition, one can visit the Shaligram temple of Kurma, the turtle incarnation, in Kagbeni Dham. This place is considered a common religious place for Hindus and Buddhists. Here, one can observe the Kagchhode Gumba, the Kagbeni Durbar built in the 12th century, as well as the old historical settlement of Kagbeni village.

Som GC of Chitwan mentioned that he felt honored to come to Kagbeni Dham of Mustang on the Aunsi date of Chaite Dashain to perform Shraddha and worship in the name of his late ancestors. He said that by coming to Mustang, a beautiful place of nature, and remembering one’s ancestors by performing Shraddha, Pindadan and Tarpan, bathing in the Kaligandaki River, one will be happy and attain merit.

Ishwori Prasad Pokharel of Hetaunda said that he came here for the first time with the aim of worshiping one’s ancestors in Kagbeni and visiting Muktinath. He mentioned that he came to Mustang with his family to fulfill the situation here and the desire to travel. Laxmi Gurung, the chairperson of the Kagbeni Temple and Shraddha Site Management Committee located here, said that the contribution of Kagbeni Dham to the economic development of Mustang is important. She informed that there is a popular belief that if one spends a night in a bamboo hut in Kagbeni and performs Shraddha remembering one’s ancestors, one will attain religious salvation.

Chairperson Gurung said that the Kagkhola flood one and a half years ago damaged the Kagbeni Temple, Shraddha Site and the physical infrastructure here, adding that the management of religious pilgrims who come here to perform Shraddha has become a challenge. He stressed that the governments at all three levels should take the initiative to build the infrastructure for the Shraddha shrine at this place of religious importance as soon as possible.

“A permanent physical structure is needed here in the long term, a large budget is required for the construction of the RCC embankment. We are building the infrastructure with the donations collected from the devotees and the local level support and are making temporary management,” said Chairman Gurung. According to him, the pilgrims who performed Shraddha at Kagbeni Dham have performed Shraddha here and climbed Muktinath to visit Muktinath.

Muktinath Development Committee employee Rabin Subedi informed that there has been a large presence of devotees since this morning. According to him, more than 12,000 have visited the Muktinath temple till date. He said that the Muktinath Development Committee, security agencies and working staff have lined up to facilitate the darshan of the devotees at Muktinath. The presence of pilgrims who come to perform Shraddha at Kagbeni on the Krishna Aunsi date of Chaite Dashain has filled the hotels in Mustang. —