On the banks of the holy Bagamati river, in the lap of Himalaya, lies the land of Shiva, where souls find Moksha and devotees find a connection with their Mahadeva. Pashupatinath Temple of Nepal, dedicated to Shiva’s form of the Lord of Pashu (soul) is a powerful and unparalleled Hindu temple. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1979, and rightfully so. A center of pilgrimage for not just Hindus but Buddhists, Jaina, and Sikhs from all over the world, the Pashupatinath Temple is as old as time.
The temple is considered the oldest Hindu sanctum of Nepal, described in the Skanda Purana, the Tevaram, an ancient Tamil text, as well as the Nepal Mahatmya. According to the temple legends, when Shiva and Parvati were immersed in one another, performing various Lilas as a divine couple, they came to the site of Bagamati as a pair of antelope.
When the gods found Shiva-Parvati, they came and held the horn of the antelope, which made Shiva transform himself into his original form during which the horn of the antelope was broken. The sacred horn was lost for many years, and when it emerged, it became the Linga which is worshiped in the Garbhagriha of the temple.
The sacredness of the site made it a revered land for the kings of Nepal, since ancient times. The Licchavi king Prachanda Deva and Malla ruler Ananta Malla have been credited for playing significant roles in the construction of the temple.
The structures of the Pashupatinath Mandir are based on the Newari architecture, giving it a distinct appearance. The roof of the temple is a two-storeyed structure made of copper, layered in gold, which glimmers from a distance, as a glorious insignia, guiding the devotees to the temple.
The central icon or deity of Pashupatinath Temple is a Mukhalinga (Lingam with faces or Mukha). This aspect of Shiva is also known as Sadashiva, a five-faced ancient deity. Sadyojaya, Vamadeva, Tatpurusha, Aghora, and Ishana are the five heads of Shiva. Each face of the Mukhalinga has two arms in which the god holds Rudraksha bead rosary and Kamandala.
The rules of ritual worship of the Pashupatinath Temple were laid out a long time ago, by none other than Adi Shankaracharya, who came on a pilgrimage to the site and saw the dilapidated system of worship and introduced sea changes in the temple management.
Following the guidance of Shankaracharya, the temple has two groups of priests-
1. Vedic Bhatta priests from Karnataka who perform everyday rituals. This is not a hereditary post and the Bhattas are elected from a group of trained and learned Brahmanas.
2. Rajabhandari priests are treasurers, helpers, and caretakers of the premises. They are not trained in ritual performance and are not allowed to touch the sanctum icon.
Many Hindu temples have some rules and regulations followed by the devotees visiting the deity. In the Pashupatinath Temple too, there are some restrictions on people who are allowed to enter the sacred space. Only practicing Hindus who belong to the South Asian population, and Buddhists belonging to Nepal and Tibet are sanctioned to enter the courtyard of the temple. Hindus of the Western world are not allowed inside the temple arena. Sikhs and Jainas who come from India are permitted to enter the temple.
The glory of Pashupatinath has transcended human-made sectarian boundaries from the early times. The Buddhist tradition and other sects associated this region with the revered place which was visited by their Mahasiddhas (the great masters) such as Matsyendranath, Gorakhnath, Padmasambhava, Naropa, and Tilopa. Pashupatinath Kshetra is also considered powerful as the place where Gorakhnath stayed to perfect his Hatha Yoga.
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the cremation ground located near the Pashupatinath Mandir is known as “Lhundrup Tsek” or the “Spontaneous Mound Charnel Ground”. According to the traditions of Tantric Buddhism, the 8 Charnel Grounds are sanctified by Padmasambhava, who performed austerities and meditations in these spots.
There are also two caves located on the northern cremation ground, which are considered the place where Mahasiddhas Tilopa and his student Naropa meditated and attained supreme wisdom. A long line of masters and students is associated with the Pashupatinath area. Tilopa was the master of Naropa, who was the teacher of Marpa. Marpa was the founder of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, which has a popular following in Tibet and beyond. Marpa was also the teacher of Milarepa, a powerful and revered master of Tibet.
Mahashivaratri, the great night of Shiva is the greatest festival in Pashupatinath temple, celebrated by an ocean of devotees, who visit the temple to witness the divinity of Shiva. Teej is also a joyous occasion for the Hindus of Nepal and is celebrated in the temple with Shiva and Parvati.
☸ Bala Chaturthi or Bala Chaturdashi is a special occasion observed by the local devotees of Pashupatinath, where they sow seven varieties of grains in the vicinity of the temple.
☸ Pashupati Mukh Herne Jaatra (Festival of Seeing the Face of Pashupati) is a unique festival of the temple when the silver gates of the Mandir are opened for Bhaktas, who stand and wait to get a glimpse of their Lord.
☸ The aarti of the Bagamati River is a beautiful display of devotion. With a number of funeral lands located alongside the banks of the river, a visit to the river becomes a spiritual experience, where the person gets to witness the meaning of Mukti (freedom from all ties of the world).
Considered as holy as Ganga by the devotees and locals, Bagamati river in itself is a sacred spot in the Pashupatinath Temple complex. People believe that if a body is dipped three times in water before cremation, the soul attains Moksha or liberation from the cycle of life and death. The Arya Ghat on the waters of Bagamati is a historic spot, known for the cremation of royal families of Nepal. Besides the funerary rites that are constantly performed on the Bagamati riverside, there are many sacred temples located alongside the banks of this revered river-
A temple dedicated to Shiva, Gokarneshvara Mahadeva is a popular shrine of the Lord, revered by local and visiting devotees. Its unique carvings and sculptures are also a reason behind its popularity.
This is one of the 51 Shakti Peetha, formed by Sati’s self-immolation and the division of her body into fifty-one parts, forming divine shrines all over the Indian subcontinent. Guhyeshwari Devi is the central deity of the temple, a form of the supreme mother goddess, Lalita Tripurasundari. Revered among Hindus and Vajrayana Buddhists (as Vajravarahi), the temple is a popular center of devotion, especially visited during Navaratri.
According to the legends of the temple, Koteshwara Mahadeva is the spot where Shiva, while roaming the world with the body of Sati, rested one of his feet, making it a sacred place for Shiva devotees. The temple is considered one of the divine 64 Sthalas of Shiva which are active spots of power for the Bhaktas of Mahadeva.
Janga Hiranya Hemnarayana Temple or Kalmochan Temple is a modern shrine dedicated to Vishnu Narayana, constructed by Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana. A unique blend of Newari, Hindu, Mughal, and Gothic architecture, this temple represents a contemporary stage of the development of Nepal’s art and architecture.
A sacred structure colored in red, a color of the divine feminine, Tripureshwari or Tripurasundari temple is dedicated to Durga- Parvati. According to the local people, the temple belongs to one of the 7 sisters of the goddess Durga, known as Ransaini. Navaratri, Dashain or Dussehra, Sankranti, and Jaatra are some of the major festivals celebrated in this temple.
An interesting legend surrounds the temple of Pachali Bhairava, according to which Bhairava was originally a king of Pharping, a town of Kathmandu. He used to go inside a room of his palace, and feast upon rice and goat. When his wife asked to join him one day, he agreed reluctantly but told her that he would have a fearsome appearance and she would have to throw rice on him in order to bring him to his human form.
Initially, the wife agreed, but upon seeing his fierce form, she forgot to throw the rice. The real form of Pachali Bhairava was revealed and he had to hide in the temple, where the icon of Bhairava is located today. The wife herself took the form of Lumhari or Bhadrakali and accompanied Bhairava as his Shakti.
A second legend tells that Bhairava used to visit Kashi every night and bathe in the Ganga and get a beautiful form. A girl belonging to a lower caste fell in love with him and asked to see his real form. She was told that the moment he would appear in his fierce aspect, the girl must throw rice on him.
She too, shocked at the appearance could not complete the ritual and Bhairava had to rush underground to protect his real identity from the people. Bhairava in Newari culture is a powerful deity, a popular god in Nepalese religion who is worshipped as a protector of the people from natural and man-made calamities.
The fierce appearance of the god does not shock the devotees, for them, he is the supreme and potent Lord and his striking icons can be seen all across Kathmandu valley, keeping his watchful eyes on his devotees.
Dedicated to Binayaka/ Vinayaka- Sri Ganesha, Jal Binayak temple is a serene shrine located in a small village of Kathmandu. Constructed by the Malla kings, the temple enshrines the image of Ganapati which is believed to have emerged from Jal or water making it a divine Mandir, popular among the local Newari people, who revere Ganesha as an auspicious deity who protects their material and agricultural wealth.
The sacred site of Pashupatinath stands today as a symbol of Nepal’s cultural antiquity and Hinduism’s prevalence across the world. However, the history of the temple is also dotted with episodes of disasters and troubles, both natural and man-made. In 2009, the temple administration was forced to undergo historic change by the government, which wanted the Bhatt priests to be replaced with local Nepalese temple staff.
The Rajabhandaris and devotees of the temple were against this decision, ultimately leading to a face-off between the supporters of the change and the people who wanted the tradition of the temple to remain unchanged. The Supreme Court of Nepal finally put a stop to the decision of the government, keeping the traditions of Pashupatinath intact.
In 2015, Kathmandu was hit by a massive earthquake, destroying homes and several historic and religious structures, including the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site- Kathmandu’s Darbaar Square. The Pashupatinath Temple, however, was unharmed. Architects and experts from different fields opine that it is because of how the temple was cosnturcted- with hard bricks and covered in strong metal sheets that saved it from any major harm during the earthquake.
For the devotees of Pashupatinath, it is the God, who resides in the temple, who is the reason behind the formidable architecutre of the sacred shrine. For who can harm him, who dwells beyond the limits of time, death and destruction- Mahakala, who was, is and will be.
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