The 39th Brahmotsav and Shaligram Festival will be held at Rangavaikatesh Temple Tirupati Balaji Dham located in Ward No. 4, Kundule of Baglung Municipality. On the occasion of the New Year, the Shaligram Festival will take place from Baisakh 7 to 11.
Temple Management Committee Chair and Shaligram Museum Patron Swami Rishi Prapannacharya informed that the festival is being organized to mark the date of the consecration (Pran Pratishtha) of Lord Lakshmi Narayan.
The festival will highlight the significance of Shaligram and the holy Kali Gandaki River where Shaligram stones are found. Daily programs include collective recitation of the Gita, bhajan-kirtan, storytelling sessions, chariot procession, daily lamp offerings, and 108 kalash abhishek rituals. The temple and museum premises have been cleaned and decorated with festoons and flags like a bride for the celebration.
According to Vice-Chair Hari Prasad Upadhyay, a 200-meter tunnel shaped like a tiger’s mouth has been built for visitors to view more than 125,000 collected Shaligrams, drawing regular crowds of domestic and international religious tourists.
Thousands of pilgrims traveling to visit Baglung Kalika Bhagwati Temple and Muktinath Temple also tour the museum. After investing more than NPR 100 million in religious infrastructure, the number of visitors has been increasing every year.
Inside the tunnel, a model depicts the stretch of the Kali Gandaki from Damodar Kunda to Triveni Dham. Patron Prapannacharya noted that Shaligram holds special importance across India, Nepal’s Madhesh Province, and the Mithila civilization, leading to a rise in visitors from those regions.
The museum entrance, designed in the shape of a tiger’s face, symbolizes Baglung. Many Indian tourists visit Nepal on 10-day travel packages from east to west. Visitors from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat are noted to be frequent. Those coming from India often prioritize the Shaligram Museum along with visits to Janaki Mandir Janakpur, Lumbini Sacred Garden, Pashupatinath Temple, and Muktinath.
During festivals and holidays, the museum sees especially high footfall. In the last fiscal year, more than 100,000 tourists visited the Shaligram Museum, generating over NPR 12.2 million in revenue this year, according to the committee.
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