Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples devoted to Lord Shiva, dating back to 400 A.D. For Hindus, it is equivalent to Mecca for Muslims. The Pagoda-style temple has a golden dome and finely carved silver doors and is placed in a lush green natural environment on the bank of the sacred Bagmati river.

Pashupatinath, which literally means “Lord of Animals,” is Nepal’s primary protector deity. Pashupatinath is supposed to have been discovered by a cow herder who dug up the area after observing one of his cows come to the location and dump its milk.

A lingam, a stone phallus with four faces, may be found in the temple’s inner sanctuary. Pashupatinath attracts Hindu pilgrims from all over the world as one of Lord Shiva’s numerous incarnations, one of the three principal gods of the Hindu trinity, notably during Maha Shivaratri, the “night of Shiva,” which occurs in early spring.

The temple and its surrounding complex are surrounded by a pantheon of other temples, each with its own origin and significance, such as the Kirateshwor Mahadev, Bhairav, Guheshwori, and Gokarnanath. Pashupatinath is also a World Heritage Site, according to UNESCO.

Those who die in the Pashupatinath Temple are supposed to be reborn as humans, regardless of their karma. Temple astrologers predict the exact date of their demise.

Pashupatinath should be your first trip if you’re drawn to areas where the spirit of death can be felt. It’s a temple with a definite death aura, with death present in almost every ceremony and nook.

The main temple in Pashupatinath is a structure with a bunk roof and a golden spire.

It is considered a Hindu architectural marvel and is located on the western bank of the Bagmati River.

It’s a cube with four primary entrances, all of which are coated in silver sheets.

Copper is used for the two-story roof, which is gold-plated. Wishes are claimed to be granted by this ornately made temple with wooden figurines. One of the temple’s most stunning embellishments is a large golden statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull.

The main temple is only accessible to Hindus, but the rest of the complex is open to the public. From the river’s eastern bank, the great temple may be seen in its full.

The Panch Deval (Five temples) complex, which was formerly a religious sanctuary but is now a shelter for destitute elderly people, is located on the western bank of the Bagmati river, in Kathmandu.

There are various religious monuments on the eastern bank of the Bagmati, most of them are devoted to Shiva. The vast majority of these buildings are single-story stone structures.

From the exterior, these structures look to be crypts, but they are actually sacred structures that house the deity Shiva’s emblem, the lingam (erect phallus). Lingams are strewn over the complex.