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PASHUPATINATH |
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 Pashupatinath
temple is a Hindu temple located on the
shore of the Bagmati river on the
eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital
of Nepal.
It is regarded as the most sacred temple
of Shiva (Pashupati) in the world.
Thousands of pilgrims from all over the
world, particularly from Nepal and India
pay homage to this temple everyday. "Shivaratri"
or night of lord Shiva is an especially
important day in this temple when tens
of thousands of people throng here for
the annual celebration.
Locals have long regarded Pashupatinath
temple as a very important part of the
city, both religiously and culturally.
Thousands of locals begin their day by
visiting the temple and receiving
blessings from lord Shiva early in the
morning. Along the shores of the Bagmati
river near the temple lies "Arya Ghat",
the most widely used place of cremation
for the deceased in Nepal, especially in
and around the Kathmandu valley. There
is also a large market in the streets
surrounding the temple. Vendors sell
souvenirs to tourists, but also cloth,
dyes, and religious supplies. |
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MUKTINATH |
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 Muktinath,
a sacred place both for Hindus as well
as the Buddhists, is located at an
altitude of 3,710 meters, at the foot of
the Thorong La mountain pass (part of
the Himalayas) , Mustang district,
Kingdom of Nepal. The Hindus call the
place as Mukti Kshetra, which literally
means the "place of salvation", while
the Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa,
which in Tibetan means 'Hundred Waters'.
For Tibetan Buddhists Muktinath-Chumig
Gyatsa is a place of Dakinis, goddesses
known as Sky Dancers. It is of great
importance for Buddhists that Chumig
Gyatsa is one of the 24 Tantric places.
The Tibetan Buddhist tradition states
that for this reason Guru Rinpoche, also
known as Padmasambhava, the founder of
Tibetan Buddhism had meditated at
Muktinath on its way to Tibet.
The shrine of Muktinath is considered
one of the eight most sacred shrines for
Hindu Vashanavites known as Svayam
Vyakta Ksetras, the other seven being
Srirangam, Sri Mushnam, Tirupati,
Naimisaranyam, Thottadri, Pushkaram and
Badrinath.
Muktinath is one of the most ancient
Hindu temple of God Vishnu. Many people
also claim the shrine to be a Buddhist
shrine. The idol is of gold and is tall
enough to compare with a man. The most
suiable time time to visit Muktinath is
from March to June, as the weather
conditions would not be safe enough to
travel in other months. In your journey
you will come across many archeolgical
sites, temples and will see and feel the
enchanting Himalayas. |
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SWAYAMBHUNATH |
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 A
golden spire crowning a conical wooded
hill, Swayambhunath Stupa is the most
ancient and enigmatic of all the holy
shrines in Kathmandu valley. Its lofty
white dome and glittering golden spire
are visible for many miles and from all
sides of the valley.
Historical records found on a stone
inscription give evidence that the stupa
was already an important Buddhist
pilgrimage destination by the 5th
century AD. Its origins however, date to
a much earlier time, long before the
arrival of Buddhism into the valley. A
collection of legends about the site,
the 15th century Swayambhu Purana, tells
of a miraculous lotus, planted by a past
Buddha, which blossomed from the lake
that once covered Kathmandu valley. The
lotus mysteriously radiated a brilliant
light, and the name of the place came to
be Swayambhu, meaning 'Self-Created or
Self-Existent'. Saints, sages and
divinities traveled to the lake to
venerate this miraculous light for its
power in granting enlightenment. During
this time, the Bodhisatva Manjushri was
meditating at the sacred mountain of Wu
Tai Shan and had a vision of the
dazzling Swayambhu light. Manjushri flew
across the mountains of China and Tibet
upon his blue lion to worship the lotus.
Deeply impressed by the power of the
radiant light, Manjushri felt that if
the water were drained out of the lake
Swayambhu would become more easily
accessible to human pilgrims. With a
great sword Manjushri cut a gorge in the
mountains surrounding the lake. The
water, draining away, left the valley of
present day Kathmandu. The lotus was
then transformed into a hill and the
light became the Swayabhunath Stupa. |
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BOUDDHANATH |
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 Bouddhanath
Stupa is the largest stupa in the
Kathmandu Valley at about 131ft (40m)
high, and one of the largest and most
important Buddhist stupas in the world.
The all-seeing red, white and blue eyes
of Buddha are painted on all four sides
of the stupa, similar to Swayambhunath,
and surrounded by hundreds of fluttering
prayer flags, prayer wheels and small
images of Buddha. It is central to the
Tibetan culture in Nepal and is said to
date back 500 years. Buddhist festivals
are a hive of activity when thousands of
Buddhists join together to join in the
sacred rituals, such as the Tibetan New
Year, or Lhosar, in February every year. |
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MANAKAMANA |
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 The
temple and small village of Manakamana
is situated atop the 1302 metre hill
that lies just north-east of the town of
Mugling, some three and a half hours by
bus east from Pokhara, or about the same
time by bus west from Kathmandu. A cable
car runs from the cable station of
Cheres, just 5 kms east of Mugling to
Manakamana in fifteen minutes. It is an
exhilarating ride as you pass the river
and up two ridges to the top. If you
want, you can return by walking down the
former well-used track down to its exit
on the Gorkha road, just 1 km north of
the town of Abu Khareini.
The cable car operates from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., stopping for lunch break from
12.00 p.m. to 13.30 p.m. On Saturdays
and holidays it starts operations an
hour earlier. The cost is a hefty 10
U.S. Dollars plus 14% tax for
foreigners, and R250 plus tax for
Nepalese citizens. This is a return
fare. Single fares only apply to a
sacrificial goat (R140). Hindu devotees
believe that a visit to this temple will
bring good luck, so expect to see many
animal sacrifices at the temple
entrance.
In theory it is possible to walk from
Gorkha to Manakamana, passing along the
hill-top ridge through forest and paddy,
although you would probably need a
guide. When I tried to hire a guide for
this walk two years ago, the would-be
guides were concerned about swollen
rivers. So probably this is a walk for
the dry season, although it should be an
exciting walk of about seven hours or
so. |
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JANAKPUR |
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 The
pleasant town of Janakpur is the
birthplace of Sita, daughter of King
Janaka and wife of Lord Rama. It is said
to be the site of Lord Rama and Sita’s
wedding. Lord Rama won Sita by picking
up Lord Siva's bow and breaking it here.
Janakpur is charged with a devotional
mood and is an interesting holy city to
visit. It is a worth while place to
visit.
It was the capital of the ancient state
of Mithila, which used to be part of
India. The Maithili language is spoken
here. It has its own script and is
spoken by around two million people.
Janakpur is located 128 km southeast of
Kathmandu, 11 hours by bus, next to the
Indian border. For the most part
motorized traffic is banned from the
city center and there is almost no
tourist hustle. So it is a peaceful
place. The town has narrows winding
streets and dozens of sacred kunds, and
is an interesting place to wander
around.
You can stop in Janakpur on the way from
Kakarbhitta to Kathmandu, as it is just
30 km south of the Mahendra Highway,
which is the road you take to get from
Kathmandu to Kakarbhitta. |
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