Pashupatinath: Aarti Time, Dress Code, Who Can Enter

The short answer

The evening aarti is held daily, at about 5:30 pm in winter and 6:30 pm in summer. Only Hindus may enter the main temple, and Indians enter free.

• Watch the aarti from the eastern bank of the Bagmati: the temple trust says visitors of every background may watch from there.
• The main temple is for Hindus only. Everyone is welcome in the wider complex: the ghats, the gardens and the smaller shrines.
• Dress modestly, with no shorts or sleeveless tops. Leave leather outside, and take your shoes off before any shrine.
• The sacred heritage day visits Pashupatinath by day, as its first stop. The evening aarti is not part of it.

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Times are from the Pashupati Area Development Trust’s own site, read on 27 October 2026. Check them again close to your visit.

What time is the Pashupatinath evening aarti?

Every evening: at about 5:30 pm in winter and 6:30 pm in summer, operators say. The temple trust lists it between 5 and 7:30 pm.

On 27 October 2026, the Pashupati Area Development Trust’s site gave two times on one page. Its darshan schedule said 5 to 7 pm; its day schedule said 6:30 to 7:30 pm. A night aarti follows, listed from 7 to 8 pm. In practice the evening aarti starts earlier in winter and later in summer, operators say, so check the time on the day.

The trust says visitors of every background may watch the evening aarti from the eastern bank of the Bagmati. That is the side across the river from the main temple, where the terraces look over the water.

The temple itself is open daily from 4 am to 9 pm. The morning puja begins at 4 am, and the evening Shayan puja at 7:30 pm.

Who can enter Pashupatinath Temple?

Only Hindus may enter the main temple. Visitors of other faiths are welcome in the rest of the complex: the ghats, the gardens and the smaller shrines around it.

The temple trust and the Nepal Tourism Board both say so. From the terraces across the Bagmati to the east, visitors who are not Hindu can look across to the temple and the ghats.

The rule is about faith, not passport. An Indian Hindu may go in; a traveller of another faith, from India or anywhere else, watches from outside.

The same holds at Guhyeshwari, the goddess temple close by on the Bagmati. The Tourism Board says it is also closed to non-Hindus.

What is the dress code at Pashupatinath?

Modest, traditional clothes. The temple trust says shorts, sleeveless tops and western casual wear are not allowed on the temple grounds.

The sacred heritage day’s listing also asks for shoulders and knees to be covered at every religious site. Long, loose clothes see you through the whole day.

Leather stays outside. The Nepal Tourism Board names shoes, belts and camera cases among the leather items not allowed in the complex. The trust also asks you to take your shoes off before entering any shrine.

Is there an entry fee at Pashupatinath for Indians?

No. The Nepal Tourism Board lists entry as free for Indian nationals and for Nepalis.

Pashupatinath Temple: free for Indian nationals and Nepalis; other SAARC nationals NPR 1,000; other foreign nationals NPR 1,000 per day per entry (Nepal Tourism Board) · checked Oct 2026

Visitors from other countries pay per day and per entry. If you are Indian, keep your passport or Voter ID with you in case you are asked to show it.

Pujas are separate from entry. The trust publishes its own list of puja rates on its website.

Tickets are not part of the sacred heritage day’s price: its listing leaves monument tickets for you to pay. What the day’s other sites charge is in Kathmandu for Indian travellers.

How should you behave at the cremation ghats?

Quietly, and at a respectful distance. The ghats are open to everyone, and the families there are holding a funeral.

Cremations take place on the ghats along the river. The temple trust lists Arya Ghat, Bhasmeswor Ghat and an electric crematorium among its services, and its last-rites service at Arya Ghat runs round the clock.

The trust allows respectful photos of the ghats and other outdoor areas, but none inside the main temple or during religious ceremonies. A cremation is a religious rite, so keep your camera down while one is under way.

Give way to anyone carrying a body to the river, keep your voice low, and never photograph mourners close up. Watching from the eastern terraces keeps you out of the families’ way.

How does the sacred heritage day include Pashupatinath?

As its first stop: the day begins at Pashupatinath, then goes on to Guhyeshwari nearby, Boudhanath Stupa, the Sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha and Swayambhunath.

You see the temple complex and the ghats in daylight, with time to walk around. The evening aarti is not part of the sacred heritage day.

It runs in a private vehicle with hotel pickup and drop-off, and lasts about eight and a half hours. The listing says it doesn’t suit pregnant women or wheelchair users, and asks that everyone comes sober.

For more days in and around the city, see things to do in Kathmandu.

A trip you can book

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