Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Pashupatinath Evening Aarati
Kathmandu Valley
Fire, incense and music beside the Bagmati at dusk, at one of the most sacred Hindu places in Nepal.
- Time needed
- 3hours
- Best seasons
Autumn — September to December
Spring — March to May
[PRICE TBC]
What to expect
Before you go
- Time needed
- Two to three hours, arriving before the ceremony starts
- Starts
- Around 6pm, earlier in winter — the time moves with the season
- Best combined with
- Boudhanath, twenty minutes away, and a monastery visit
- Good for
- Culture, ritual and photography
- Worth knowing
- This is a working cremation site. There are places where photography is not appropriate, and your guide will tell you where they are.
Every evening, people gather beside the Bagmati River as priests prepare fire, incense, music and prayer for the Pashupatinath Aarati.
The ceremony begins at approximately 6 pm, although the time can change slightly with the season. Arriving early allows time to explore the temple surroundings and find a respectful place to sit.
Pashupatinath is also a working cremation site and one of Nepal’s most sacred Hindu places. Our guides help travellers understand what they are seeing while respecting worshippers, grieving families and areas where photography is inappropriate.
Want this in your trip?
Most people add a place like this to a trek rather than travel for it alone. Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will work out where it fits and how long to give it.