KATHMANDU, June 23: The government of Indian state of Rajasthan has decided to bear airfare of its citizens above 65 years coming on pilgrimage to Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu. 

According to news published by the Indian news portal India Today on Friday, “The Rajasthan government has decided to fly its senior citizens free of cost to three more pilgrimage destinations, including Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal, an official statement said Thursday.”

The three new locations have been added by the Ashok Gehlot government in the list of 6 existing destinations, the media reported. Rajasthan government has been bearing pilgrimage expenses of senior citizens under the Senior Citizens Pilgrimage Scheme. 

Pashupatinath Temple -- enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979 -- has been a prime destination for Hindu pilgrims across the globe, with Indian nationals topping the visitors’ figure every year. Large number of visitors hordes the temple annually, especially around February, when Maha

Shivaratri, a major festival dedicated to the deity of the temple, is celebrated.

While statistics published by tourism.gov.np mentioned that 194,323 Indians visited Nepal by air in 2018 alone, visitors also enter the country via roadways in large numbers. The latest decision of the Indian state government is likely to benefit the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign.

 
• Pashupatinath_Temple
 
• Rajasthan
 
• airfare
 
• pilgrimage