KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Hindu holy men and mostly young devotees openly puffed on cannabis smoke on Sunday, marking one of Nepal's biggest annual festivals.
Tens of thousands lined up to pray at the Pashupatinath, the temple of the Hindu god Shiva in the capital Kathmandu, during the Shivaratri festival.
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A holy man smokes marijuana during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A man displays smoking pot to sell to devotees during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A man displays marijuana and smoking pots to sell to devotees during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Hindu devotees queue inside a temple to offer prayers during Shivratri, the sacred night dedicated to Lord Shiva in Jammu, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A holy man smokes marijuana as devotees take selfie with him during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A holy man smokes marijuana during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Marijuana is usually banned in the South Asian country, but exceptions are made to celebrate Shiva, who has strong links to the practice and has often been depicted smoking pot.
Devotees prayed and danced to religious songs at the temple, a landmark for Hindus who constitute about 81% of Nepal’s population. Others from neighboring India also traveled to Kathmandu for the festival.
Across the Bagmati River from the temple, holy men with their bodies smeared in ashes could be seen smoking marijuana, as well as many Nepali men and some women, on the forested Bankali hills.
Generally, the use of marijuana in Nepal is punishable by prison sentences of up to a month for users and 10 years for traffickers.
Nepal was famous for marijuana and other narcotics in the 1960s, when hippies made their way to the Himalayan nation. Shops and tea houses used to advertise and sell it legally. However, marijuana was outlawed in 1976.
There have been efforts to decriminalize marijuana in Nepal by both campaigners and parliament members to legalize its farming and use, but progress has stalled.
A holy man smokes marijuana during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A man displays smoking pot to sell to devotees during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A man displays marijuana and smoking pots to sell to devotees during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Hindu devotees queue inside a temple to offer prayers during Shivratri, the sacred night dedicated to Lord Shiva in Jammu, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A holy man smokes marijuana as devotees take selfie with him during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A holy man smokes marijuana during Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
MUMBAI, India (AP) — The most-anticipated game of the T20 World Cup is set to attract over a billion eyeballs when India takes on archrival Pakistan at Colombo on Sunday with uncertainty aplenty still surrounding world cricket’s marquee matchup.
Political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations have often boiled over on to the cricket field. Sunday’s game will be the first time the teams have met since last year’s acrimonious Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates which was won by India and where players refused to shake hands.
At Mumbai, West Indies notched its third successive win in Group C when it thumped Nepal by nine wickets and qualified for the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
West Indies had already beat Scotland and England to take command of Group C.
Nepal showed plenty of promise in its first game when it lost narrowly to England, but then two heavy defeats against first-timer Italy and Sunday against West Indies saw it eliminated.
Fast bowler Jason Holder grabbed 4-27 and restricted Nepal to 133-8 after captain Shai Hope won the toss and elected to field. Hope then smashed unbeaten 61 off 44 balls and Shimron Hetmyer scored 46 off 32 balls as West Indies cruised to 134-1 in 15.2 overs.
Nepal had stuttered to 6-73 in 15 overs but Dipendra Singh Airee (58) and Sompal Kami (26 not out) contributed a 54-run stand in the death overs to give the total some respectability.
United States, which lost to both India and Pakistan before beating the Netherlands, takes on Namibia in its final Group A game later Sunday.
But Colombo remains the focal point on Sunday where the marquee game of the tournament begins at 7 p.m. local time (1400 GMT).
In the lead up to the match, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said he believed it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they will shake hands with his team before and after Sunday’s game.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, for his part, was non-committal.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Pakistan’s government threatened a boycott of Sunday’s match after the International Cricket Council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Pakistan only agreed to play after intense discussions with the ICC. The fixture is the major revenue earner for the ICC.
Tensions came to a head in the Asia Cup when Suryakumar refused to shake hands with Agha. Heated moments followed between the two sides throughout the tournament, with Suryakumar and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf fined for breaching the ICC’s code of conduct.
India went on to win the Asia Cup but refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
“The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started. The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do,” Agha told media on Saturday about the possibility of the players shaking hands.
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. It also has an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.
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West Indies' captain Shai Hope, right and Shimron Hetmyer run between the wickets to score during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
West Indies' Jason Holder, second left, Nepal's Aarif Sheikh during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
West Indies' captain Shai Hope, right, pats on the shoulder of Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel after the coin toss during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav reacts as he leaves the ground after losing his wicket during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Namibia in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
FILE - Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha walks off the field after his dismissal during the third T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
