Sikhism in Nepal: The small underwhelmed community lives under Hindus’ shadow

Krishna Prasad Kadariya (72) lives inside the Pashupatinath temple premises. He wakes up at 2 am every day, takes a bath and does his nitya puja (daily worshipping rituals). Then, he opens up the door of a gurdwara in Nirmal Akhada and takes out the Guru Granth Sahib by 4 am. As a ritual, this follower of Sikhism in Nepal folds his hands, bows his head and leaves the holy book open (prakash). He goes by his work all day and then in the evening closes the book and keeps it at rest (sukhaasana) in the evening. This is a cycle of rituals equivalent to humans waking up and sleeping daily.

For more than three decades now, he has been working inside the Pashupatinath premises as a priest and caretaker of the gurdwara. But, Kadariya is not a Sikh; he is a follower of Vedic Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) and believes strongly in Pashupatinath. “This work does not bar me from performing the rituals because of my religion. And, it has also kept me close to Pashupatinath,” he says, “Every day a mul-mala (garland) goes from the gurdwara to Pashupatinath as an offering and I am privileged to do so, and I would want to continue this for many years to come as well.”