By BOB Goswami
NEPAL NEWS – The mystic wanderers, popularly called sadhus have been banned from selling cannabis to tourists at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. Thousands of sadhus have gathered during the festival Shivaratri at the temple where they traditionally smoke cannabis to celebrate the festival of Lord Shiva.
This year authorities have ruled out the selling of cannabis in the temple and announced that selling drugs would cause eviction from the temple. Since last week the plain clothes police personnel mixed with sadhus to check whether anyone selling drugs.
About 20 sadhus have already detained and evicted from the temple. They have been moved to an area outside the city.
Sadhus are men who renounce the world and travel extensively, living mostly in caves, forests and temples - see their use of the drug as receiving a blessing from him. It is believed that the Lord Shiva himself enjoys cannabis.
Thousands of sadhus have traveled far from India to celebrate Shivaratri, the famous Hindu festival at the revered Pashupathinath temple. The temple authority said they didn’t have any objection to the sadhus smoking cannabis for their own worship. However, they ensured that the drug was not sold on the temple premises.
PADT Member Secretary Sushil Nahata said that over the years the drug became prevalent on the temple premises and commercialized. He further added that the use of drugs arguably spoilt the essence of the festival.
He added: "Any sadhu arrested with large quantities of the drug will be sent to jail."
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