The Pashupatinath Temple in the Kathmandu Valley

The Pashupatinath Temple in the Kathmandu Valley

Pashupatinath is the most prominent sacred temple for Hindu’s in Nepal. The holy shrine is the greatest place among the Lord Shiva sites. Pashupatinath temple is located in north-east of Kathmandu valley about 5 km away in the bank of Bagmati river. Bagmati is represented as the pious river by religious people where they rinse their body before entering the temple for worshiping. The enclosed area of Pashupatinath temple is on UNESCO world’s heritage list. The pilgrimage site is each year visited by thousands of devotees, general people and tourists from all over the world either for worshipping, research or knowing about the history behind the temples glory and construction. In the past, only Hindus were allowed to enter the temple and worship whereas others could only observe the Pashupatinath temple from the bank of Bagmati river. However, some incidents now have changed the beliefs of people which have opened the door of temple for every human being. Legends say that once a herdsman was amazed to see a cow showering the earth with her milk. While digging the sites further, the man found the divine Linga of Pashupatinath.

History of Pashupatinath Mandir

There is not any exact clue that when was the temple founded. General beliefs of people states that it came into existence dates back to 400 A.D. Tradition says it was founded by Pashupreksha of Somadeva Dyansty during the 3rd century BC but Pashupatinath holds the historical date of foundation from 13th century. The temple was later erected by King Bhupatindra Malla in 17th century after it was occupied by termites. These includes the other temples construction in the same time. The Vaishnav temple with Ram temple from 14th century and the Guhyeshowri temple mentioned in 11th century manuscripts. The priests who offer daily prayers in this temple are Bhat-Brahmins from South India, Karnataka since the last 350 years. The priest of Pashupatinath temple is called Bhatta and the chief priest is called Mool Bhatta or Raval. The chief priest of temple only reports to the King about the temple matters on periodic basis. The richly ornamented pagoda of Pashupatinath houses the sacred Linga of Lord Shiva. This temple complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites  list in 1979.

Temple Architecture

The Pashupatinath temple has the Pagoda style architecture. The wooden windows, doors, gates and all the accessories are beautifully crafted representing the historical structure which is being followed from ages. The two level roofs of temple are of copper with gold covering. The temple has the four entrance doors made from silver sheets. The turret of temple is made from gold which symbolize the religious notion. The western door has the big statue of Bull / Nandi made up from Bronze. The bull is the ideal symbol of Lord Shiva cavalier. The Shiva Linga or deity inside the temple is of black stone which is 6 feet tall and same in circumference. The temple holds the significant norms, values and general beliefs of Nepalese people who have been following the Hinduism from a very long time. Visiting Pashupatinath would be your ideal choice to know about Nepalese tradition, culture and religion.