Devotees crowd Nepal temple as COVID-19 cases decline

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Nepalese people throng the Pashupatinath temple premises ahead of the annual Mahashivaratri festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A Hindu holy man smokes marijuana during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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Devotees stand in a queue to enter the Pashupatinath Hindu temple to offer prayers during Mahashivarati festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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Holy men from India warm themselves while sitting next to a bonfire during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year, authorities are expecting very large numbers of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A Hindu holy man from India applies sandalwood paste on his face during the Mahashivaratri festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A volunteer offers tea to holy men during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A Hindu holy man prepares marijuana to smoke during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A Hindu holy man performs morning rituals during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A holy man takes a bath before performing morning rituals during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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A Hindu holy man chants religious scripts during the Mahashivarati festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. During the festival this year authorities are expecting very large number of devotees at the temple that remained closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shreshta)

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KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of devotees crowded a revered Hindu temple in Nepal’s capital for a festival on Tuesday as coronavirus cases decline and life returns to normal.

Around a million devotees were expected to visit the temple to Hindu god Shiva on Shivaratri, one of Nepal’s most cherished festivals.

Temples, schools and markets have begun to reopen in recent weeks as the number of COVID-19 cases declines. On Monday, just 180 new infections were reported, down from a peak of over 9,000 per day in January.

Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu is among the most important Hindu temples and is popular among pilgrims. During the festival, devotees fast all day and visit the temple and take dip in the Bagmati River.

The festival is also famed for the open smoking of marijuana, even though it is classified as a narcotic and punishable by jail terms. In a forested area and riverside next to the temple, Hindu holy men were joined by devotees smoking marijuana.

Nepal was famous for marijuana and other narcotics in the 1960s, when hippies made their way to the Himalayan nation. Shops and teahouses used to advertise and sell marijuana legally until it was outlawed in 1976.

It remains against the law, with its use punishable by up to a month in jail for users and 10 years for traffickers. But a group of governing party lawmakers and activists are campaigning to legalize its production and use.