Nepal’s Supreme Court has rejected a demand to ban entry of Naga sadhus to the Pashupatinath temple and restore ‘decency and serenity’ of the shrine. A division bench of the SC comprising justice Kumar Chudal and Nahakul Subedi ruled that the Nagas nudity should not be interpreted as promotion of the culture of indecency, drugs consumption or sexual violence, but continuity of a tradition of “detachment (vairagya) and devotion.” In their verdict to a case that was filed by advocate Yagyamani Neupanme some years ago, the judges said that Nepal's constitution guaranteed rights to observe belief and practice of their faith and maintain the traditional way of this practice. Every year, mainly during the Mahashivaratri festival, Naga sadhus in huge numbers - covered with bighut or ashes - throng at Pashupati nath from different akhadas of India and Nepal and attract believers in large numbers. In fact, the temple authority even provides them sustenance allowance along with the travel expenses back home after the festival ends. The court ruled that the indecency should also be measured by the context, tradition and social acceptability or lack of it , and that the demand for banning the entry of the Nagas on that count will not be appropriate.
