The morning bells of Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath · Arya Ghat lane, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal

Hari Bahadur Shrestha

Temple-side resident since birth · Mar 12, 2026

“The first bell is not for tourists. It is for the river, and for those who slept beside it.”

Hari has lived on the east bank of the Bagmati since the 1950s. He says the first bell at Pashupatinath is rung before the main gates open — a short, uneven sequence that older families still use to mark the start of the day. Visitors who arrive after sunrise miss the lane behind the souvenir stalls, where neighbors leave mustard oil and a single marigold for the river, not for the temple cameras.