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Pashupatinath Temple
A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Pashupatinath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is one of the world’s holiest Hindu temples. Thought to date back to 400 CE, the splendid, extensive temple complex has been built around a stone which is believed to be the linga or phallus of Pashupatinath, a four-headed, black emanation of Lord Shiva who is the patron deity of Nepal. One popular legend has it that the linga was originally a piece of stag horn that broke off and fell there when Lord Shiva was caught by his peers cavorting about as a stag. After many years buried in the earth, the linga was found by a cowherder, curious about the miraculously abundant milk that one of his cows produced when she wandered over a particular spot. Traditionally, there are only four priests, all from South India and appointed by the King of Nepal, who are allowed to touch the linga. According to Hindu scripture, the sacred Shiva linga symbolizes the origin of all creation.

The temple complex is set alongside Nepal’s Bagmati River, within walking distance of Boudhanath. Hindu adepts believe that the Bagmati, which flows into the Ganges, is a holy river and that to be cremated there on a burning ghat will liberate the deceased from the cycle of rebirth. There are also bathing ghats and ritual spots along the Bagmati, although pollution has caused a drop in religious activities of this sort. The annual festivals held there on the other hand, are as popular as ever. One of these is Shiva Rati in early spring. A hundred thousand devotees flock to Pashupatinath Temple from all over Nepal and India, many of them sadhus in loincloths to pray to Shiva, make offerings to the linga and be absolved of their sins.

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