In order to facilitate the holy men and women, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has already set up 65 tents for them in the temple area and also managed additional living spaces in Ram Mandir, Goraknath Math, Bhimeshowari, Guheshowari, Swargdawari Ashram and Annapurna Bhandar.

The PADT has also mobilised people to clean and decorate the temple area for the upcoming festival. “We have mobilised 17 people to clean the Bagmati river and Nepal Army personnel are also carrying out the clean-up campaign,” PADT Member Secretary Govinda Tandan said.

Meanwhile, welcome gates have already been constructed in the western and southern parts of the temple and 16 people have been colouring and cleaning the temple area.

The PADT, in collaboration with Nepal Electricity Authority, has also installed 200 street solar lamps around the temple, while decorative lights are all set to be fixed within Saturday.

The PADT, however, is reducing the number of volunteers to 3,500 this year. Around 10,000 volunteers were mobilised last year. “We are doing this as the large number of volunteers caused troubles in managing crowds last year. Some of them even misused the gate pass and helped their relatives and friends jump the queue,” Tandan said. “So we have become selective in choosing volunteers,” he added.

Last year, over 700,000 people visited the temple on the main day of Shivaratri and the number is expected to be over one million this year. Likewise, the number of Indian pilgrims, which was around 125,000 last year, is also estimated to increase this year by 15 percent. “The visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pashupatinath last year has given a good message among Indians and this is why their number is likely to increase this year,” Tandan said.