Number of people visiting Swargadwari increases

Pyuthan, July 26: The number of pilgrims visiting the famous religious site of Swargadwari has increased in the Nepali month of Shrawan. According to Swargadwari Ashram, this increase in visitors is because of the Bolbam ritual. Hari Adhikari, chief administrative officer at the Ashram, informed that nearly 1,000 pilgrims came to Swargadwari on the first Monday of Shrawan and 2,000 on the second Monday. 

“Since Bolbam is a custom associated with Lord Shiva, many Nepali and Indian devotees come here to carry it out,” he said, adding that the pilgrims brought water from the Mandavi River and offered it at Swargadwari.

Local resident Durga Bohara said that the number of visitors coming to the area in days other than Monday was also high. Baisakh Purnima, Phulpati, Tihar Aunsi and Maghe Sankranti are other days of the year when a large number of people visit Swargadwari.

Swargadwari is a hilltop temple and pilgrimage site in Pyuthan which commemorates the special role of cows in Hinduism. It is said to have been founded by Guru Maharaj Narayan Khatri, better known as Swami Hamsananda, who spent most of his life in the vicinity herding and milking thousands of cows.