Kathmandu - Police arrested 18 people on charges of selling cannabis at the ancient Hindu temple of Pashupathinath in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on the eve of the Shivaratri festival.
Police said the suspects were being held for interrogation.
Each year, Pashupatinath, one of biggest Hindu temples in the country, receives thousands of holy men and pilgrims from different parts of Nepal and India, for the festival, devoted to the Hindu god Shiva.
Smoking cannabis is a traditional part of the festival inspired by Shiva, who smoked cannabis himself. The thinly clad ascetics who lead a life of renunciation and meditation in the forests, smoke cannabis as a blessing of Lord Shiva.
Ahead of this year's festival, the Pashupati Areas Development Trust (PADT) said it had banned the buying and selling of cannabis at the festival.
The authority stepped up efforts to clamp down on drug dealing at the festivities, by mobilising plainclothes policemen. PADT said it would not bar the holy men from using cannabis themselves, but arrest them if they were found selling it.
About 3 000 police were deployed in the area Tuesday, on the eve of the festival.
“We're expecting 400 000 to 600 000 visitors this year,” PADT official Narottam Vaidhya said. “Drug selling has become more widespread at the festivities in last few years, which was why PADT is taking additional measures to control the illegal dealing.” - Sapa-dpa