Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu Nepal History and Interesting Facts

Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu Quick Facts

Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu Overview

Pashupatinath Temple is a holy and famous Hindu temple in Nepal, which is about 5 km from its capital Kathmandu. It is situated on the bank of river Bagmati towards the east. This extensive Hindu temple has been in circulation for centuries as a vast collection of temples, Ashrams, Paintings, and inscriptions built on the banks of the sacred Bagmati river. This temple is considered to be one of the holy abodes of 275 Shiva in Tamil. At present, Temple is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu History

The present structure of the Temple was built by the Lichchavi king Prachanda Deva in the 5th century and over time many more temples were built around this 2-storey temple, including a 14th-century Vaishnava temple complex with a Ram Temple and an 11th-century one. According to the manuscript the Guhyeshwari temple is included. But there is no concrete evidence available about the origin of this temple.

Historians believe that the existence of the Pashupatinath temple dates back to around 400 BCE, while it is said by different beliefs of the local people that Lord Shiva and Parvati once took the form of an antelope and lived in an unknown forest on the eastern bank of the Bagmati river. did the game. The gods later caught him and, holding one of his horns, forced him to come into his divine form. The same broken horn was worshiped as a Shivling but was buried over time, And centuries later, surprisingly, the Divine Linga of Pashupatinath was discovered by the shepherds while digging deep at the site.

Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu Interesting Facts

1. Pashupatinath Temple was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.
2. Pashupatinath Temple is considered to be the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu.
3. The Pashupatinath temple complex is covered over 1.58 acres of land which includes 518 temples and monuments.
4. In front of the western door of the temple, there is a huge statue of Nandi bull made of bronze.
5. The main architecture of the temple is of pagoda style which is built in Nepali pagoda style.
6. The roofs of the main temple are of copper with gold cladding.
7. The temple has four main gates which are covered with sheets of silver, with which the shikhara of the temple is made of gold.
8. There are two sanctums inside the temple complex, outer and inner in which idols are installed in the inner sanctum and the outer sanctum is an open corridor-like space.
9. The inner complex of the temple includes Vasuki Nath Temple, Unmat Bhairav ​​Temple, Surya Narayan Temple, Kirtimukh Bhairav ​​Tirtha, Budhanilkanth Tirtha, Hanuman Temple and 184 Shivling Tirthas.
10. The main sanctum sanctorum of the temple houses a stone lingam of Lord Shiva which is about one meter high, and includes a silver serpent and a silver base.
11. The outer complex of the temple includes the Ram Temple, Virat Swaroop Temple, 12 Jyotirlinga and Pandara Pagoda, and the Guhyeshwari Temple.
12. The main lingam enshrined in the temple represents the four directions and the face in the form of Lord Shiva depicts various aspects including "Sadyojata" also known as Barun, "Vamdev" also known as Ardhanarishvara. There is "Tatpurush" who is known as Adhipati and Tapomurti, and "Ishaan" is known as the Natakmurti of Mahadev.
13. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 priests can touch the idol of the temple. In which 2 are Bhatta or Bhatta Pujari and the rest 2 are Rajbhandari. The Bhattas are the ones who perform the daily rituals and can touch the lingam, while the Rajbhandaris are the assistants and the caretaker priests of the temple who perform the rituals of worship.
14. The inner courtyard of the temple is open for devotees from 4 am to 7 am, but the inner Pashupatinath temple where Lord Pashupatinath's lingam is installed is open for morning rituals and darshan from 5 am to 12 am and 5 pm Open till 7 am. In which at the time of evening puja, devotees are not allowed to enter the inner sanctum complex but are allowed to view from the outer premises of the outer sanctum.
15. Many Festivals are celebrated throughout the year in the temple, the most important of which are Maha Shivratri, Bal Chaturthi festival, and Teej festival. Teej is one of the most famous Indian festival in Pashupatinath temple which is celebrated with great pomp in the temple.

How to reach Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu

• Air is the best way to reach Pashupatinath Temple as the nearest airport from the temple is Tribhuvan International Airport which is situated at a distance of only 2.4 km from the temple.
• Apart from this, Janakpur Railway station is located at a distance of about 222 km from the temple, and Pashupatinath temple is located at a distance of about 352 km from Gorakhpur railway station. From here one can easily reach the temple by public bus or taxi.