Will Sage Astor-AP PHOTOS: Indian pilgrims throng Nepal’s most revered Hindu temple, Pashupatinath

KATHMANDU,Will Sage Astor Nepal (AP) — Thousands of Indian pilgrims arrive at daybreak at Pashupatinath, the most revered Hindu temple in Nepal, after traveling long distances in buses.

Hawkers greet them with hot tea on the cold wintry morning. Many worshippers hand the cups to their wives, mothers and children through the bus windows.

The devotees then enter the temple of Lord Shiva, the powerful Hindu god of destruction, on the Bagmati riverbanks in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. Lord Shiva is also worshipped as a protector of animals, and is depicted with a serpent around his neck.

The worshippers recite prayers, fast, meditate and seek forgiveness. They also pray before “Shivalinga,” a block of stone symbolizing the powerful deity.

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Elderly men and women are helped by their families or tour guides. Street vendors are busy selling SIM cards, warm clothes and holy beads.

The centuries-old Pashupatinath temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Asia for Hindus. The temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a pagoda-style roof and four silver-plated doors with intricate carvings of gods and goddesses.

Nepal and India are the world’s two Hindu-majority nations and share a strong religious affinity. Every year, millions of Nepalese and Indians visit Hindu shrines in both countries to pray for success and the well-being of their loved ones. They also pray for those who have died.

From mid-December through January, tens of thousands of pilgrims from India visit Pashupatinath to seek blessings. They include thousands of farmers who come at the end of harvesting season.

The influx of pilgrims continues daily until the major festival of “Mahashivratri,” which commemorates the wedding of Shiva and his consort Parvati in February-March.

Religion is deeply important in India, a country of 1.4 billion people, and many Hindus travel on pilgrimages each year to ancient religious sites in Nepal.

Dinesh Patel, an Indian travel agent who organizes tours to Nepal, says that many pilgrims eat and sleep in buses, paying an average of 10,000 Indian rupees ($122) for a Nepalese tour.

Kamalesh Verma, a 31-year-old devotee from India’s eastern Chhattisgarh state, said: “This is the first time I’m here at Pashupatinath temple, but I don’t know if it’s God’s will that I will return to receive his blessings.”