KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees gathered at a revered temple in Nepal’s capital on Wednesday to celebrate one of the country’s biggest religious festivals.
In the Bankali forests near Pashupati, the temple of the Hindu god Shiva, holy men and devotees puffed on cannabis smoke, a practice that is normally illegal but is permitted during the Shivaratri festival.
Devotees have been praying and dancing to religious songs at the temple, which is one of the most important for Hindus around the world. About 81% of Nepal’s population is Hindu. Many Hindus from neighboring India also traveled to Kathmandu for the festival.
A key part of Shivaratri is the freedom to smoke marijuana, an act that is normally punishable by prison sentences of up to a month for users and 10 years for traffickers.
The forest area across the Bagmati river from the temple was filled with marijuana-smoking Hindu holy men, who camp there for days during the festival. Young Nepalese men and some women were also partaking in the smoke.
“Weed smoking should be made legal but with some limits and boundaries,” said Abhishek Pathak, who was among those smoking cannabis. “There are multiple uses of marijuana and I really hope in the future that the use of marijuana will be totally legalized.”
H/T: apnews.com
