Hindu
Pilgrimage sites in Nepal
Nepal was the only Hindu
kingdom in the world till the establishment of democracy in Nepal. The country
has innumerable Hindu temples .Similar to four Dhams –the holiest sites of
Hinduism in India, Nepal too has holy places termed as kshetras , which are to
be found at four locations in Nepal. These are the Pashupat Kshetra, Mukti
Kshetra, Ruru Kshetra and Baraha Kshetra.
Pashupat Kshetra is the place of
the famous temple of Lord Pashupatinath in Kathmandu. Mukti Kshetra in Mustang
has the famous Vishnu temple, also revered by Tibetan speaking Buddhists as
Avalokiteshwar. This place, from where the river Kali Gandaki originates, is
also well known for the shaligram, a kind of fossil revered by the Hindus as
the manifestation of Lord Vishnu in stone form. Ruru Kshetra is located at Ridi
near Tansen in the western hills where the Kali Gandaki River flowing
north-south changes its course of flow in the easterly direction. Baraha
Kshetra is situated in Sunsari district in the east where the mighty Sapta Kosi
River emerges from its mountainous journey to make its descent into the plains.
Besides Buddha, Nepal is the birthplace of Sita, the consort of Ram of the epic Ramayana, in Janakpur, and Ved Vyas, the great sage and author of the epic Mahabharata, in Tanahu district on the banks of the Madi River.
Some of the most famous and holy Hindu sites worth visiting in Nepal , which I was fortunate to visit except Janakpur are described below. Although , I didnt have time to visit Janakpur, I mention it also due to its importance . Ofcourse the source of information about Janakpur is internet.
Pashupatinath, or Pashupati, is a Hindu temple on the
banks of the Bagmati River in Deopatan, a village 3 km northwest of Kathmandu. It is dedicated to a manifestation of Shiva called
Pashupati (Lord of Animals). It attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and
has become well known far beyond the Kathmandu Valley. The temple is barred to
non-Hindus, but a good view of the temple can be had from the opposite bank of
the river. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath was founded.
Tradition says it was constructed by Pashupreksha of the Somadeva Dynasty in
the 3rd century BC, but the first historical records date from the 13th
century. The ascetic Pashupata sect was likely related to its foundation.
According to a legend recorded
in local texts, especially the Nepalamahatmya and the Himavatkhanda,
the Hindu god Shiva once fled from the other gods in Varanasi to Mrigasthali, the forest on the opposite bank of the
Bagmati River from the temple. There, in the form of a gazelle, he slept with
his consort Parvati. When the gods discovered him there and tried to bring him
back to Varanasi, he leapt across the river to the opposite bank, where one of
his horns broke into four pieces. After this, Shiva became manifest as
Pashupati (Lord of Animals) in a four-face (chaturmukha) linga.
Pashaputi
Temple's extensive grounds include many other old and important temples,
shrines and statues. South of the temple, for instance, is Chadeshvar, an inscribed Licchavi
linga from the 7th century, and north of the temple is a 9th-century temple of
Brahma. On the south side of Pashupati temple is the Dharmashila, a stone where sacred oaths are taken, and pillars
with statues of various Shah kings.
The Bagmati River, which runs next to Pashaputinath Temple, has highly
sacred properties. Thus the banks are lined with many ghats
(bathing spots) for use by pilgrims. Renovating or furnishing these sites has
always been regarded as meritorious. Arya
Ghat, dating from the early 1900s, is of special importance because it
is the only place where lustral water for Pashupatinath Temple can be obtained
and it is where members of the royal family are cremated. The main cremation
site is Bhasmeshvar Ghat, which is the most-used cremation site in the
Kathmandu Valley. We could see the burning corpse and the sight was very depressing .
Budhanilkantha
temple
is one of the famous Hindu pilgrimages of Nepal. Budhanilkantha means “old blue
throat” and Ananta has 11 hooded heads. This temple is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu. In this temple a deity of Lord Vishnu who is also known as Narayan is
located on Jalasayana which means sitting on an Ananta Sea. It is said that
deity of Lord Vishnu which is situated in the temple is about 1000 years old.
The deity of Lord Vishnu is so fascinating as the deity is 17ft i.e. is 5m long
which is located on the tank that is 43ft i.e. 13 m long the deity is looked
like it is floating with the crossed leg of Lord Vishnu. The eye catching deity
has four hands holding four symbols one is conch-shell, chakra the disc, club
and lotus flower. In the Licchavi Period in 7th and 8th century this deity was
carved in this temple.
Along with this deity three
more images were carved in this temple during same time period. One image is at
famous Budhanilkantha which is original and important, next is at Balaju
Gardens and last one is at famous Royal Place in Kathmandu. At Budhanilkantha
temple Hindu’s used to step down to touch the feet of Lord Vishnu Deity, but
foreigners cannot. It is believed that if the Nepal King sees the deity at
Budhanilkantha then he will die immediately this is the reason the deity which
is located at Budhanilkantha is not seen by Nepal King but he can see other two
famous deities.
Guheshwari Devi temple is dedicated
to Adi Shakti
and is one of the Shakti
Peetha .
It is believed that this temple is the Shakti peeth of Pasupatinath Temple. The
goddess is also called Guhyekali and is also an important pilgrimage
destination for Tantric worshipers besides being an important Shakti peeth for
hindus.
The
temple name originates from the Sanskrit words Guhya (Secret) and Ishwari (Goddess). In Lalitha
Sahasranama mentions
‘Guhyarupini’-the
form of Goddess that is beyond human perception and hence is a secret.
The origin of Shakti peeth lies in
the mythology where when Shiva was
insulted by his father in law, Sati Devi was so angry that she jumped into
flames of yagya ( fire worship), an event which gave rise to the practice of
Sati, or self-immolation. Shiva was grief-stricken and picked up her corpse and
began to wander about as her body parts fell to the earth. The temple marks the
spot where her yoni fell; guhya means vagina and ishwari means goddess. The
goddess is worshipped at the centre of the temple in a kalasha (water jar) that
is covered with a layer of silver and gold. The temple stands at the centre of
a courtyard and is topped with four gilded snakes that support the finial roof.
Shakti Peethas are places that are believed to have enshrined with the presence
of Shakti due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow. This
temple is also revered by Tantric practitioners and Tantric rites are performed
in this temple. The temple is also mentioned in the Kali tantra, Chandi tantra,
Shiva tantra Rahasya as one of the most important places for gaing the power of
tantra.
Manakamana temple is
suited in Gorkha District of Nepal ans is
94 kilometers from Pokhara and 106 kilometers from Kathmandu. Couple of
years before it took 5 hours trek to reach the Manakamana Temple. But now a
days Cable car is operating. The temple
is dedicated to Godess Bhagwati-the incarnation of Parvati. The temple is located on a
distinguished ridge 1,302 metres (4,272 ft) above sea level and overlooks
the river valleys of Trisuli in the south and Marsyangdi in the west. The
spectacular views of the Manaslu- Himachali and Annapurna ranges can be seen to
the north of the temple
Changu Narayan temple: Perched atop a narrow ridge due
north of Bhaktapur, the beautiful
and historic temple of Changu Narayan is a living museum of carvings from the
Licchavi period. The temple is a Unesco World Heritage Site and rightly so,
because the statues, and the temple itself, are genuine works of art. The
temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is the oldest temple in Nepal. The
pagoda style temple has several masterpieces of 5th and 12th century Nepalese
art. According to legends Changu Narayan temple existed as early as 325 A.D. in
the time of King Licchavi King Hari Datta Verma and it is one of Nepal's
richest structures historically as well as artistically. In the grounds there
is a stone pillar inscription of great importance recording the military
exploits of King Man Deva who reigned from 496 A.D. to 524 A.D. The first
epigraphic evidence of Nepalese history found in the temple premises during the
reign of the Licchavi King Mandeva dating back to 464 A.D. shows that Changu
had already been established as a sacred site in the 3rd century A.D. It is the
earliest inscription known in Nepal.
Janaki Mandir is dedicated to
Sita –the consort of Lord Rama and is located in Janakpur and believed to be
the site where Sita was born.
The temple was constructed in 1874 and is a blend of Mughal and local
architecture. The temple is a three-storey building and has 60 rooms, making it
the largest temple in Nepal. The temple houses an idol of Sita which was found
near Ayodhya, the kingdom of Ram. The marriage anniversary of Lord Rama and
Sita is celebrated in Janakpur every year on Vivah Panchami day which falls in
December.
In
the southwest corner of Janaki Mandir is the Vivah Mandap, which has been built
at the site where the marriage of Ram and Sita is said to have been taken
place. Another well-known temple in the vicinity is Ram Mandir, built in pagoda
style, and hence is different from the other temples in Janakpur which
generally bear resemblance to Mughal architecture. It houses a female statue,
said to be of Yogamaya, which has the reputation of being one of the most
beautiful images of female forms in Nepal. Other holy sites of interest include
the Laxman Temple, Sankat Mochan Temple and Hanuman Temple.
Dhanushdham is
situated 18 km north-east of Janakpur and is believed to be the place where the broken
remains of the divine Shiva bow fell after Ram broke it to obtain Sita's hand
in marriage. A fossilized fragment of the broken piece is still believed to be
present here. Every Sunday in the month of Magh (January/ February), a Makar
Mela (fair) takes place - a tradition that has not been broken since Vedic
times - and tens of thousands devotees from Nepal and India flock here to pay
homage to this place.
