Pashupatinath Temple timings
The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), which runs the temple, publishes it as open daily from 4 AM to 9 PM. Its day schedule runs morning puja from 4 to 7 AM, the Mahabhishek from 7 AM to noon, the evening aarti from 5 to 7 PM and the night aarti from 7 to 8 PM. The trust's own temple page adds that the gates of the main temple close at 2 PM and reopen for the evening aarti, so check the afternoon before you travel.
Photo: Bijay Chaurasia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pashupatinath timings through the day
Best time for darshan. PADT's own sources disagree on the evening, so plan around the morning. Its website opens the temple at 4:00 AM, with morning puja until 7:00 AM and the Mahabhishek until noon, so the first hours are the surest time for darshan. For the evening aarti, PADT gives three different times on its own pages: 5:00 to 7:00 PM, 6:30 to 7:30 PM, and 6 PM in winter or 7 PM in other seasons. Arriving by 5:00 PM covers all three.
Pashupatinath aarti and puja timings
Full daily schedule
As published by the Pashupati Area Development Trust on its website: open daily from 4 AM to 9 PM, with the day schedule below. The trust's temple page also says the four gates of the main temple close at 2 PM and reopen for the evening aarti at 6 PM in winter and 7 PM in other seasons.
| Time | What happens | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 04:00 – 07:00 | Morning puja | Ritual |
| 07:00 – 12:00 | Mahabhishek | Ritual |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | Evening aarti | Ritual |
| 19:00 – 20:00 | Night (shayan) aarti | Ritual |
| 21:00 | Temple closes for the day | Closed to the public |
Pashupatinath timings during festivals
Maha Shivaratri Falgun (February/March)
PADT describes pilgrims worshipping through the night and a special evening aarti at the Bagmati ghat. It does not publish changed opening hours on its festivals page.
Teej Bhadra (August/September)
Thousands of women gather on the morning of Teej. For Teej 2083 (2026), PADT published a separate darshan route notice before the day.
Shrawan Mondays Shrawan (July/August)
PADT published details of the routes in use on every Monday of Shrawan in 2026.
How to read the Pashupatinath schedule
The trust publishes one daily window with rituals inside it. What you can do inside those hours still depends on the entry rule, which is not a timing question at all.
One window 04:00 – 21:00
The trust gives the temple as open daily from 4 AM to 9 PM, with no weekly closed day.
Main temple gates From 14:00
The trust's temple page says the gates of the main temple close at 2 PM and reopen for the evening aarti, 6 PM in winter and 7 PM in other seasons.
Not everyone may enter Hindus only
The trust states that non-Hindu visitors are not permitted inside the main sanctum.
Where everyone else views it The east bank
Visitors who may not enter the courtyard see the complex from across the Bagmati, which is a different visit rather than a lesser one.
For foreigners NPR 1,000
A foreigner needs to pay an entrance fee of 1,000 Nepalese rupees to enter the site, which is separate from the courtyard restriction.
Suggested length 90 to 120 minutes
The published suggestion is to reserve about ninety minutes to two hours for a visit to the site.
Not verified yet 4 items no official source publishes
- The aarti and ritual timetable inside the two open windows.
- Which of the trust's two afternoon descriptions applies on a given day: open through the day, or main temple gates closed from 2 PM until the evening aarti.
- Maha Shivaratri timings, when the site takes a very large crowd.
- Queue or waiting times, which nobody outside the temple measures reliably.
Know one of these from an official notice? Send it to us and the page is updated with a new date.
What people ask about the schedule
Answered from the published schedule, and marked unverified where it is.
What time does Pashupatinath open?
At 4 AM. The Pashupati Area Development Trust publishes the temple as open daily from 4 AM to 9 PM.
What time does Pashupatinath close?
At 9 PM, on the trust's published temple hours.
Where do these timings come from?
From the Pashupati Area Development Trust, the government body that runs the temple, on pashupati.gov.np, read on the date shown under the schedule.
What is the daily puja schedule?
Morning puja from 4 to 7 AM, the Mahabhishek from 7 AM to noon, evening aarti from 5 to 7 PM and night aarti from 7 to 8 PM, on the trust's day schedule.
What are the evening aarti timings?
The day schedule gives 5 to 7 PM. The trust's temple page gives 6 PM in winter and 7 PM in other seasons. Arriving by 5 PM covers both.
Is the temple closed in the afternoon?
The trust's visitor information gives one window from 4 AM to 9 PM. Its temple page says the gates of the main temple close at 2 PM and reopen for the evening aarti. Plan the afternoon around the second description to be safe.
Is there a weekly closed day?
No. The trust publishes the temple as open daily.
Do the hours change on Maha Shivaratri?
The trust posts special arrangements and darshan routes for festivals on its website. The festival hours themselves have not been verified here, so check pashupati.gov.np before the date.
How long should I allow?
About ninety minutes to two hours for the site. That is for walking the complex rather than waiting to enter the sanctum.
How long is the queue?
This site does not publish waiting times. Nobody outside the temple measures them reliably and any figure would be stale within hours.
Does the fee change by time of day?
Nothing published suggests so. The entrance fee for foreigners is published as a flat 1,000 Nepalese rupees without reference to when you arrive.
What should I check before travelling?
Whether you may enter the courtyard, then the trust's day schedule on pashupati.gov.np for your date. The first question decides the visit and no timing changes it.
Back to the whole temple
The dress code, the entry rules and everything else about Pashupatinath that has been verified against a published source.