Nepal celebrates muted Teej as Covid pandemic takes toll

Kathmandu [Nepal], September 9 : Nepal's Pashupatinath Temple, a famous Hindu place of worship remained closed this year on the occasion of the Teej festive due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even though the Pashupatinath temple was closed, devotees performed rituals in the Pashupatinath area. The annual festival is celebrated across the country by worshipping Lord Mahadev and Goddess Parvati.
"Teej is one of the most celebrated festivals in Nepal with all these women clad in red attire. It feels really sad that the temple is closed and women do not get a chance to worship their god as they have planned but still we see a lot of crowds here today, a little more than last year," Shivani Chemjong, a devotee who arrived at Pashupatinath Temple on the occasion of Teej told ANI.
This festival also celebrates womanhood as well as giving a chance of a reunion with maternal family and friends where married women express their pain and sorrow through songs.
The Teej festival, which formally begins on Wednesday, is celebrated till Rishi Panchami. "We woke up early in the morning and took bath. Then we came to the temple for worship with the hope that it is open. But it was closed. I performed pooja from outside the walls, danced and sang songs for a while; for the whole day, I would fast," Anjana Adhikari, another devotee told ANI.
The Pashupati Area Development Trust has closed the temple since the second week of April but is planning to reopen it from next Friday.