Kathmandu. Around 12,000 pilgrims visited the Muktinath Temple on the first day of the New Year 2083. According to Muktinath Development Committee, domestic and foreign tourists have paid homage at the Muktinath temple wishing for good health, long life and continued progress÷prosperity.

Around four thousand to five thousand visitors visit the temple on a daily basis, but today the number of devotees visiting the temple has doubled, said Dinesh Bhusal, manager of the committee. According to him, the premises of the Muktinath temple were packed with devotees even after 2 pm as it was the New Year.

Similarly, a significant number of employees of the district-based government offices and local people also visited the Muktinath Temple on the occasion of the New Year. Manager Bhusal said that although there is a problem of petroleum products due to the conflict in the Middle East, devotees from far and wide have come to visit Muktinath. The number of devotees visiting Muktinath has increased at this time as the weather is favourable for visiting Muktinath.

Devotees throng the Muktinath temple to pay homage to the Muktinath temple on the first day of the New Year.

After the temple was filled with a large number of devotees, the committee had facilitated the devotees to visit the temple in a way that they could queue up. Two bus parks at Ranipouwa at Muktinath were full of vehicles due to the number of people visiting Muktinath in the New Year. With this, the number of tourists visiting Muktinath has increased in the tourist villages of Mustang including Jomsom and Marfa.