South Asia: In Katmandu, Hindu Holy Men Smoke Marijuana in Annual Shiva Festival 3/3/06

Drug War Chronicle, recent top items

more...

recent blog posts "In the Trenches" activist feed

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!!!


https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/425/shiva.shtml

Hindu holy men, devotees, and tourists by the hundreds, if not thousands, smoked marijuana this weekend outside a temple in Nepal to honor Shiva the Destroyer, the Hindu god of change and goodness. The annual festival at the Pashupatinath temple on the outskirts of Katmandu is expected to draw 150,000 people, the Associated Press reported.

Holy men (or yogis) smeared in ash and wearing loin cloths shared marijuana, or charas, with worshippers, locals, and tourists as they chanted praises to Shiva. In Hindu tradition, the gods sent the hemp plant to man to help him attain delight, courage, and sexual powers. The plant is consecrated to Shiva and is known, among other names, as "vijaya" (victory) after the gods were able to wrest it away from demons. It is still widely esteemed in India and the subcontinent for its ability to endow users with mystic, supernatural powers.

While the use and possession of marijuana is illegal in Nepal, authorities do not interfere with pot-smoking at the annual festival. They also have not managed to do away with the world famous Nepalese hash.

-- END --
Link to Drug War Facts
Please make a generous donation to support Drug War Chronicle in 2007!          

PERMISSION to reprint or redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and, where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we request notification for our records, including physical copies where material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail [email protected]. Thank you.

Articles of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Issue #425 -- 3/3/06

Drug War Chronicle, recent top items

more...

recent blog posts "In the Trenches" activist feed

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!!!

Editorial: A Basic Question of Fairness | Feature: Canada Cannabis Seed Crackdown? | Feature: In Annual Ritual, Bush Administration Seeks More Aid for Colombia Drug War | Celebrity Mouth: Fox Bloviator Attacks TV News Legend Walter Cronkite over Drug War | Feature: The Push is On Again in Nevada | Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories | Marijuana: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back as Lawrence, Kansas, Adjusts Its Marijuana Laws | Marijuana: University of Texas, Florida State Students Pass SAFER-Style Resolutions | High Schools: South Dakota Legislature Overrides Veto to Lessen Student Drug Penalties | Drug-Free Zones: California Homeless Legislation Would Bar Certain Drug Offenders from LA's Skid Row | Europe: Scottish Tories Tip-Toe Toward Libertarian Line on Drug Policy | South Asia: In Katmandu, Hindu Holy Men Smoke Marijuana in Annual Shiva Festival | Weekly: This Week in History | Job Opportunity: Religious Outreach Coordinator, Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative | Weekly: The Reformer's Calendar


This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
Out from the Shadows HEA Drug Provision Drug War Chronicle Perry Fund DRCNet en Español Speakeasy Blogs About Us Home
Why Legalization? NJ Racial Profiling Archive Subscribe Donate DRCNet em Português Latest News Drug Library Search
special friends links: SSDP - Flex Your Rights - IAL - Drug War Facts

StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet)
1623 Connecticut Ave., NW, 3rd Floor, Washington DC 20009 Phone (202) 293-8340 Fax (202) 293-8344 [email protected]