Mahashivratri Haze: Cannabis, Sadhus And Devotion Mark Nepal’s Night Of Shiva

Last Updated:February 15, 2026, 17:38 IST

Sadhus and young devotees smoked cannabis at Pashupatinath temple during Shivaratri in Kathmandu, as authorities relaxed enforcement.

Sadhus and thousands of mostly young devotees openly smoked cannabis on Sunday as Nepal marked Shivaratri.

Long queues formed at Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple, where tens of thousands gathered to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. The temple, situated along the Bagmati River, is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites in the Subcontinent.

Although marijuana is illegal in Nepal, authorities traditionally relax enforcement during Shivaratri. The festival honours Shiva, a deity often associated with cannabis use and frequently depicted smoking from a chillum in Hindu iconography.

Across the river on the forested Bankali hills, ash-smeared sadhus could be seen openly smoking marijuana. Many Nepali devotees, including some women, joined in the practice as part of the religious observance.

Hindus make up around 81 per cent of Nepal’s population, and the festival also draws large numbers of pilgrims from neighbouring India each year.

Outside the festival period, marijuana use in Nepal is punishable by up to one month in prison for users, while trafficking can carry sentences of up to 10 years.

Nepal gained a reputation in the 1960s as a haven for cannabis and other narcotics when Western hippies flocked to the Himalayan nation. At the time, shops and tea houses legally sold marijuana. The government outlawed the drug in 1976.

In recent years, lawmakers and activists have pushed for the decriminalisation and regulated cultivation of marijuana, arguing it could boost the economy. However, legislative efforts have so far stalled.

News world Mahashivratri Haze: Cannabis, Sadhus And Devotion Mark Nepal’s Night Of Shiva

Read More