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| A view of Pashupatinath Temple from the Right Bank of the River. |
Pashupatinath is one of the holiest temple considered in Hindu Religion. It is named after the creator-Shiva. Pashupati is one of the many names of Shiva. Other names are Mahadev, Shankar, Bhola and many more. Every year, many devotees from all over the world come to worship the Shiva, to pay homage and to clean their soul. It is said that, we don't have to face the problems even after our death if we are good doer and religious with good mind and soul. We can acquire good life, if we are religious. A religious people is a good doer who helps the helpless and destitute. Also, this temple is one of the major attraction for tourists as they can learn about life and importance of our existence on Earth from the perspective of Hinduism. Many religious fair and congregation are held in the temple area during certain festival. On special occasions like Ekadasi, Sankranti, Mahashivratri, Teej Akshaya, Rakshabandhan, Grahana (eclipse), Poornima (Full moon day) people congregate here in far greater number.
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| Monkey- A food snatcher. |
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| A closer View of the Temple. |
The magnificent temple of Pashupatinath is located in eastern outskirts of Kathmandu valley, amidst the other smaller temples, on the west bank of holy river-Bagmati, which finally links to the Ganges of India. This river further adds to the significant of Temple. The temple of Lord Pashupatinath stands in the middle of an open courtyard. It is a square shaped pagoda temple built on single platform measuring 23.6 meters from the ground. It is considered a masterpiece of Hindu architecture. There are gold gilt doors on all the four sides of the temple. The two-storied roof is made from copper and is covered with gold. This richly decorated temple with wooden sculptures is believed to make wishes come true. One of the most astonishing decorations of the temple is the huge golden statue of Nandi - Shiva’s bull. Inside the temple there is a narrow walk engulfing the sanctum from where one can have closer view of Shivalinga.
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| A smaller clone version of Shivalinga. |
Shivalinga is about three feet high, having four faces. All these faces have a different names and own significance. The face facing east is known as Tatpurusha and the one facing south as Aghora. Similarly, the faces looking west is known as Sadhyojata and north is Vamadeva. The upper portion of this linga is known as Ishan. These faces are also defined as the symbol of four dharmas (the most famous places of pilgrimage for Hindus) and four Vedas (sacred books of Hindus). The images of Vishnu, Surya, Devi and Ganesh are also placed in the sanctum of the temple.
Along the right bank of Bagmati numerous platforms for funeral pyres are built. The cremations on these platforms are a common activity.
Usually tourists have the chance to see at least one open-air cremation.
The majority of religious rituals are culturally unusual and even mind-blowing for Westerners, but probably the most culturally unusual thing in Pashupatinath is the specific smell of cremated bodies. Unlike any expectation the smell has nothing in common with the smell of decaying flesh, but rather reminds the smell of clabber mixed with different spices.
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| Several Cremations being Performed. |
It is also very common to meet sadhus in Pahsupathinath.
Sadhus are wandering ascetic yogis, who are trying to acquire liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth by meditating.
They have very unique appearance with specific yellow paintings on their bodies.
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| You should climb several grueling step to reach the top. |
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| Shivalingas |
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