KATHMANDU: A Nepal Army soldier, who was paragliding during a showmanship on the occasion of  Nepal Army Day at Tundikhel, has met with an accident on Monday.

The injured is Corporal Purna Bahadur Bhandari. Injured Bhandari has been rushed to National Trauma Center. An NA squad rushed him to the hospital in an ambulance after rescue.

The paraglider had fallen on the road near General Post Office, Sundhara while he was parachuting on the occasion.

BHAKTAPUR: Property worth Rs 60 million was reduced to ashes as a furniture industry caught fire due to short circuit at Kaushaltar in Madhyapurthimi Municipality-3 in the district.

According to SP Himalaya Kumar Shrestha, chief of Metropolitan Police Range Office, Bhaktapur,  the massive fire which started at Shrestha Furniture and Kastha Udhyog belonging to Raju Shrestha at 11 pm yesterday was brought under control only at 4 am today.

All the goods including furniture of various brands, machine and raw materials used for making furniture and sofa, warehouse among others were gutted in the fire informed SP Shrestha.

The fire also partially damaged owner Shrestha’s house, ice-cream factory run by Durga Shrestha and Pradeep Silwal’s house.

A total of six fire-engines from Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army had been used to contain the fire, said SP Shrestha.

POKHARA: CAN Info-Tech fair is coinciding with the 7th City Rewan Food Festival being held in Pokhara – the touristic city replete with diverse natural landscapes.

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Oli has said his government would take necessary initiative for Nepal Army’s capacity building.

Issuing a message on the occasion of Army Day, Prime Minister Oli expressed the confidence that the Nepal Army being the government’s important organ, it will play a significant role to achieve national goals.

PM Oli further stated that the Nepal Army should carry out works as per the sentiments of national campaign ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’.

He maintained that the role and contribution of the Nepal Army to nation building will be remembered forever. “I want to appreciate Nepal Army’s patriotism and dedication,” PM Oli said.

He has also extended his gratitude to all the army personnel undertaking rescue operation with high morale and enthusiasm.

Half-naked Sadhus, also called Aghoris, mix a chunk of ganja or cannabis with a bit of tobacco, fills the contents into the chillum (a clay pipe), chants “Bol Bom” or “Jaya Bholay” and starts puffing away leaving a cloud of smoke in the air.

These sadhus who have denounced worldly life, basically, congregate in Nepal’s Pashupati Temple during Maha Shivaratri, literally translates to “Great Night of Lord Shiva” – a Hindu festival especially celebrated in Nepal and India.

This night is celebrated every year to venerate Lord Shiva. And these sadhus with matted hair and long beards, who claim of being the real devotees of Lord Shiva, puff ganja in the name of their Lord.

The Aghoris, mostly coming from India, believe puffing cannabis is a fundamental aspect of their religious practice. Therefore, Shivaratri, which is celebrated on the new moon day in the month of Magh according to the Hindu festival, is the right time for these Aghoris to enjoy ganja.

According to myths, Shivaratri is the day when Lord Shiva was born. However, another popular belief is that Shivaratri is the day when Lord Shiva married Parvati. Likewise, some believe that Lord Shiva performed the “Tandav”, a dance of primal creation, preservation and culture, on this auspicious night.

There is also a belief that anyone who offers milk, Dhaturo (a kind of intoxicating plant) and “Belpatra” (Woodapple leaves) to Lord Shiva and observes fasting the whole night will get blessings from Lord Shiva.

It is also believed that on this day, stars in the northern hemisphere will help raise a person’s spiritual energy.

In fact, this night is also celebrated to mark the convergence of Shiva and Shakti.

In Nepal, hundreds of thousands of devotees visit the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu – which is one of the holiest temples of the Hindus.

KATHMANDU: Chairman of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) Rajesh Kaji Shrestha inaugurated NCC offices in Chitwan and Pokhara.

On the occasion, Shrestha expressed the view that the new offices would work closely with the members of the NCC as well as the entrepreneurs in the districts.

Naga sadhus or naked ascetics in hundreds from Nepal and India have thronged the Pashupatinath temple to observe the Maha Shivaratri festival on Monday night.

Shivaratri is of prime importance to Hindu ascetics who worship Shiva, one of the prominent Hindu Gods among the trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Lord Shiva is known by numerous names like: Maheshwor, Nilakantha, Mahadev and Rudra, among others.

Pashupatinath temple, a world heritage site finds mention in ancient Hindu scriptures including Puranas. Also mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures is Sleshmantak, an adjoining forest area and the Bagmati river, that flows near the revered temple.

Naga sadhus are renounciates who mediate on Lord Shiva by following their own meticulous prescribed procedures being handed down through ages of their lineage.

They believe that the night of Shivaratri is of significant importance for worshiping Lord Shiva on this occasion leads them to Moksha, that is liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Shivaratri is also of equal significance to Aghori Sadhus who lead more severe life of renunciation. Aghoris observe spiritual exercises on cremation sites. Unlike Naga Sadhus, who are easily noticed in and around Pashupati temple premises, Aghoris are hard to trace for they shun publicity.

KATHMANDU: Former Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari’s final rites were performed today.

Prime Minister KP Oli and Nepal Communist Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal paying last tribute to late Adhikari at the party office, Dhumbarahi.

Daughters of late Adhikari lighting the funeral pyre of their deceased father at Aryaghat, Pashupati.

JANAKPUR: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has alleged the government of failing to fulfil people’s aspiration in the last one year.

Deuba came down heavily on the government of involving in publicity rather than work while speaking at a program in Janakpur today.

NC President Deuba said the government was acting in a way intended to weaken federalism.
On the occasion, he claimed that the Nepali Congress has been playing an effective role of an opposition.

KATHMANDU: Final rites of former Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari was performed at Aryaghat in Pashupati this afternoon with state honors.

Thousands of people, including ministers, leaders of various political parties, party cadres, and well-wishers gathered at Aryaghat to pay their last tributes to late Adhikari, who passed away on Saturday night while undergoing treatment at Hams Hospital in Dhumbarahi. He was suffering from pneumonia.

Late Adhikari’s daughters lit the funeral pyre.

An emergency meeting of the cabinet this morning had decided to perform late Adhikari’s final rites with state honors.

Adhikari, who had retired from active politics in 2014, had served as a Finance Minister during the nine-month tenure of the Man Mohan Adhikari-led government in September 1994. He had then championed the much-appraised reform campaign called “Afno Gaun Afai Banau” (Make your own village).

He also introduced ‘Old Age Allowance’ for Nepali senior citizens during the 1994-95 nine-month long communist government.

He served as finance ministers for four times. Adhikari is survived by his wife and three daughters.