People throng at Balgopaleshwar Temple for receiving tika

Kathmandu, Nov 15: People thronged the Balgopaleshwar Temple for receiving tika and paying homage to god Balgopaleshwar on the occasion of the Bhaitika festival today.

This temple located in the middle of the Ranipokhari pond in the city centre is opened for devotees only on the day of Bhaitika, the last day of the five-day Yamapanchak or Tihar festival. The temple was opened since the early morning for the devotees to pay homage and receive tika.

The devotees can offer worship at the temple from the morning till the evening, said Rajunath Pandey, Senior Metropolitan Police Superintendent and Chief of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Police Force. Sisters who do not have brothers and brothers who do not have sisters visit the Balagopaleshwar temple to receive tika and pay homage on the occasion of Bhaitika.

This temple was closed on the day of Bhaitika since the Tihar festival in 2015 after it was damaged by the April 25 Gorkha earthquake that year. It has been opened for the devotees on the day of Bhaitika since 2020 after its reconstruction. ---