Teej Celebrations At Pashupatinath Temple

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"Pashupatinath" or the Lord of all beings is a form of Lord Shiva who resides in the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is among the four most important pilgrimage sites for the devotees of Lord Shiva.

The main temple is built in Pagoda style and is covered in silver. It is built as a huge complex of shrines that stretch on both the banks of the Bagmati River. The shrines are dedicated to a plethora of Hindu and Buddhist deities.

Maha Shivaratri and Teej are the two festivals that are of most importance to the temple of Pashupatinath. During Teej, crowds of women dressed in red visit the temple to seek blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

It is considered very holy to visit the temple during Teej. Lord Pashupatinath and Goddess Parvati bless their devotees with good husbands and a blissful marital life.

Read on to learn more about the celebrations of Teej at the temple of Pashupatinath.

• Teej is celebrated to commemorate the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. As the story goes, Goddess Parvati had to take 108 births to get Lord Shiva as her husband. She spent all the 108 years in severe penances to get the husband who she wished for. This is the reason that women pray to Goddess Parvati on this day. It is said that the Goddess blesses the women with blissful marriage to the husband that their heart desires.
• On the day of Teej, women dress themselves in red clothes. They wear expensive jewellery, they also wear 'potey' which are special necklaces made with green coloured beads. They also wear bangles made out of glass. These bangles are usually red and green in colour.
• Red and green are the main colours used on the day of Teej. Red is considered holy and a symbol of a happy married life. Green on the other hand, symbolizes fertility and prosperity.
• The women folk visit the Pashupatinath temple on the Teej day. This day follows the day of feasting called the Dar Kane Din.
• On the third day of the Shukla Paksha of the Sawan month, women observe a fast while visiting the Pashupatinath temple. Food of any kind is avoided. Some women give up drinking water on this day too.

• A crowd of women queue outside the temple waiting for their turn to pay their respects to Lord Pashupatinath. The atmosphere is joyous and gay. The women spend the time that they wait by singing devotional songs and dancing to them.
• The Bagmati river that flows through the site of Pashupatinath temple is also considered extremely holy. Devotees offer flowers, fruits and drop coins into the river as an offering. They also offer little Shiva Lingas that are made out of stones to the river Bagmati.
• Some women and devotees also take a bath in the holy river Bagmati. It is believed that bathing in the river Bagmati helps in removing all sins of the past and the present.
• Priests lead the women in worship of the Shiva Linga of Pashupatinath. Women offer coins, flowers and fruits to Lord Pashupatinath and seek his blessings.
• When the women return from the temple, they always go to the henna tattoo artists. They adorn their hands and feet with the henna tattoos. Henna is believed to be one of the auspicious signs of a married woman. It is said that the deeper the colour of the henna tattoo, the stronger will the love of the couple be.