Indian pilgrims line up, forming a queue as they wait to enter Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 9, 2024. The centuries-old temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Asia for Hindus. Nepal and India are the world’s two Hindu-majority nations and share a strong religious affinity. Every year, millions of Nepalese and Indians visit Hindu shrines in both countries to pray for success and the well-being of their loved ones. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Indian pilgrims deliver tea to their family members through the window of a bus before they embark on a visit to the sacred Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 9, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Indian pilgrims who have embarked on a visit to the sacred Pashupatinath temple react to being photographed in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 9, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Devotees perform rituals during Poushe Aunshi festival near Kanti Bhairabh temple on the bank of Bagmati river in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, January 11, 2024. During this festival devotes bath in the river and perform rituals seeking peace and blessings for their departed family members. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Dogs fight with a bull near Pashupatinath premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, January 12, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





An Indian pilgrim loads baggage as they get ready for their departure after visiting Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 12, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Indian pilgrims wait inside a bus for their departure after visiting Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 12, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Indian pilgrims wait inside a bus for their departure after visiting Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 12, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Indian pilgrims huddle inside a bus as they wait for their departure after visiting Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 12, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





An Indian pilgrim holds her scarf as she embarks on a visit to the sacred Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, January 12, 2024. The centuries-old temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Asia for Hindus. Nepal and India are the world's two Hindu-majority nations and share a strong religious affinity. Every year, millions of Nepalese and Indians visit Hindu shrines in both countries to pray for success and the well-being of their loved ones. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Pigeons fly at the Boudhanath Stupa, a World Heritage site in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, January 18, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Smoke rises from the burning of incense offered by devotees at Boudhanath Stupa, a UNESCO world heritage site, in Kathmandu, Nepal on January 22, 2024. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Nepalese Hindu devotees attend mass prayer during the first day of the month-long Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on 25 January 2024. The Madhav Narayan festival takes place for an entire month. It is devoted to religious fasting, holy bathing, and the study of the Swasthani book, a chapter or story read each evening by priests or heads of households to the gathered family. Thousands of married women and dozens of male devotees concluded their month-long fast at various temples for a better life and peace in the country. According to the Swasthani book, whoever takes the month-long Swasthani fast will have all their sins forgiven, and they will not experience bad days during their life. The festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the god of creation and destruction. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)





Hindu devotees perform rituals by the Hanumante river during Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Thursday, January 25, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A Nepalese Hindu devotee prostrates on the ground outside a temple as part of performing a ritual during Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Thursday, January 25, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





Hindu devotees bathe in the Shali river for a prosperous conjugal life as a ritual of the Swasthani Brata Katha festival, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on January 25, 2024. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)





A Hindu devotee arrives to perform rituals by a polluted Hanumante river during Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Thursday, January 25, 2024. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)





A snow leopard looks on from an inside of a cage, after being captured from the southern plains of Nepal and brought to the central zoo, which wildlife experts say is rare for the animal that is found in the higher altitude, in Kathmandu, Nepal on January 26, 2024. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Devotees gather as they offer prayer on the bank of the Hanumante river during the month-long Swasthani Brata Katha festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal on January 29, 2024. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Devotees offer prayer by rolling on the ground during the month-long Swasthani Brata Katha festival at the bank of Hanumante river in Bhaktapur, Nepal on January 29, 2024. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)