Guthi Sansthan and Pashupati Area Development Trust will organise a farewell programme on Thursday for 4,000 sadhus who visited the Pashupatinath temple for the Mahashivaratri festival.

Deepak Bahadur Pandey, deputy administrative officer of Guthi Sansthan, said the visiting sadhus will get cash doles as parting offerings or Dakshina based on their ranks determined by their religious orders, their attire and the ID cards provided to them by their organisations.

Guthi Sansthan and Pashupati Area Development Trust have set aside Rs 1.5 million and Rs 700,000 for the purpose. Sadhus from different parts of the country and India make pilgrimage to the Pashupatinath temple every year during Mahashivaratri. They are looked after by the Guthi Sansthan and the Pashupati Area Development Trust during their stay.

This year the Guthi Sansthan spent Rs 1.5 million to provide meals and firewood to the visiting sadhus, said Pandey.