KATHMANDU, May 6: The annual Bagmati pilgrimage will not take place this year, marking its sixth straight cancellation due to river pollution.
The pilgrimage traditionally covers a 54 km route from Katuwal Daha to Bagdwar, tracing the sacred origin of the Bagmati River—the cradle of Kathmandu Valley’s civilization.
Muslim pilgrims ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage
After a 40-year gap, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) resumed the event in 2018 and 2019 (2075 and 2076 BS) under the then Member Secretary Dr Pradeep Dhakal. During these years, PADT shortened the original 17-day pilgrimage to seven days in 2018 and extended it to nine days in 2019, with priest Madan Bhatta of the Pashupati Agam Ghar performing the required rituals.
Although the Trust planned to gradually restore the event to its full 17-day format starting in 2020, it has not organized the pilgrimage since. The PADT cancelled the 2020 event due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but in subsequent years, locals claim the Trust showed no interest in reviving it. PADT's Acting Chief of the Culture Division, Ishwar Man Rajbhandari, confirmed that no preparations have been made this year either.
Pilgrims typically visit 165 sacred sites mentioned in Himalayan scriptures, bathing and worshipping along the Bagmati's banks. According to Bhatta, Sage ‘Nemuni’ initiated the pilgrimage, which also includes tantric rituals at designated spots.
PADT acknowledges that the pilgrimage promotes awareness of Bagmati River conservation. However, with the event stalled for six years, concerns have grown that the delay may further hinder preservation efforts.
