Amid the recent unrest in Nepal, several unverified images and videos went viral on social media. One of them is a video of several people scaling the gates of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. NDTV aired the footage and said, "The mob has reached … Read on blog or Reader Alt News Read on blog or Reader Pashupatinath Temple attacked during Nepal GenZ protest? No, viral video shows ceremonial ritual By Shinjinee Majumder on 19th September 2025 Amid the recent unrest in Nepal, several unverified images and videos went viral on social media. One of them is a video of several people scaling the gates of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. NDTV aired the footage and said, "The mob has reached the temple. If the youth demonstrators are ransacking the temple, then this is rowdyism..." Several social media users also tweeted the viral video with the same claim. Right-wing X influencer Jitendra Pratap Sigh (@jpsin1) wrote, "Protesting against the government is understandable, but trying to break the temple's doors? Where is the real anger? And why the attack on the temple?" (Archive) गुस्सा अगर सरकार से है, तो निशाना पशुपतिनाथ मंदिर क्यों? ये मंदिर सिर्फ ईंट-पत्थर नहीं, बल्कि पूरे हिंदू समाज की आस्था और पहचान का प्रतीक है। सरकार के खिलाफ विरोध समझ आता है, लेकिन मंदिर के दरवाज़े तोड़ने की कोशिश? असली गुस्सा कहाँ है? और चोट मंदिर पर क्यों?#NepalRiots… pic.twitter.com/2kCE7oLezz — 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) September 9, 2025 Readers should note that this user, whose X DP has Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo, shares disinformation and communal propaganda on a regular basis. Several users amplified the viral video with the same claim. Among them was Rahul Jha who identifies himself as "national co-incharge IT/social media BJP Kisan Morcha". This slideshow requires JavaScript. Fact Check Upon a reverse image search of a keyframe of the viral video, we were led to a TikTok video uploaded by user @hamrojatra.com on July 14. The caption said, "Who knows about this procession at Pashupatinath Temple? Which procession and when is it held? Why is it climbing the gate?" It must be noted that the GenZ protest in Nepal took off on September 8. Below is a comparison between a keyframe from the viral video and a keyframe from the aforementioned TikTok video. A close look at the attire of the men trying to scale the temple gate shows the two clips are from the same incident. Clips from the same event had been uploaded in March last year. Alt News also accessed a similar video from 2023 on TikTok. The video had been shot during the Naxal Bhagwati Yatra. @bi_bas #fyp #jatra #pashupatinath #naxalbhagwatijatra #goviral #newar_culture ♬ Jatra - Lakhey From social media posts, it can be understood that this is part of Naxal Bhagwati Jatra, held during the Basleshwori or Paha Chahre festival in late March or early April. During this event, it has been a tradition for the idol of Naxal Bhagwati to symbolically knock on the main door (gate) of Pashupatinath Temple three times to attract the attention of Shiva, the deity. This act is not an act of protest or aggression, but rather a ceremonial gesture performed when the deity visits Pashupatinath, and is rooted in the region's cultural and religious heritage. Furthermore, according to Nepali monk Dr Swami Keshavanand, the situation at Pashupatinath Temple has been peaceful during the recent ptotests. अहिले रातीको पशुपतिनाथको अवस्था । पशुपति शान्त छ । सेनाले सुरक्षा दिइरहेको छ । हामीहरू निरन्तर हेरिरहेका छौँ । चिन्ता नगर्नुहोस् । पशुपतिलाई कसैले छुन सक्दैन । pic.twitter.com/6SGVzvq38m — डा. स्वामी केशवानन्द ( Dr. KN Swami ) (@swami_kn) September 9, 2025 Hence, a video showing a ritual during the Naxal Bhagwati Jatra has been falsely shown as young protestors attacking the Pashupathinath Temple after the September 8 demonstrations.

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