There are scores of temples across South Asia, some are truly remarkable and really must be visited. One of the most stunning is the Shri Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal. It is a very famous and sacred Hindu temple complex just out of the Nepalese capital city of Kathmandu. The temple complex was listed as UNESCO World Heritage-listed in 1979 and is a must-see for anyone visiting Nepal.
Shri Pashupatinath Temple is one of 275 Tamil Paadal Petra Sthalams (or Holy Abodes of Shiva). It is the most important temple dedicated to the god Shiva. Another great temple visit is the "Lost Temple" of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, while not an active temple, it is mindblowing.
About The Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath is one of the four most important religious sites in all of Asia for devotees of Shiva. It was built in the 5th century but the site itself is said to have existed long before when the Shiva lingam was found there. It is also the largest temple complex in Nepal.
- Built: In The 5th Century
- Significance: One Of The Four Most Important Site For Shiva
The main temple of Pashupatinath has a bunk roof and a golden spire, it is a cubic building with four main doors covered in silver sheets. The roof is made of copper and is covered with gold. The temple is richly decorated with one of the most notable being the huge golden statue of Nandi (Shiva's Bull).
While foreigners can visit all the adjacent buildings of the complex, only followers of Hinduism can enter the main temple.
Death And Cremations At the Temple
Every year hundreds of followers of Hinduism make their way to the temple to shelter for the last weeks of their lives and to await death. They would then be cremated on the banks of the river. The river is the sacred river of Bagmati and it flows into the holy river Ganges. The holy site draws people from far and wide all across Nepal and India. They do this in the belief that they will be reborn as a human - regardless of how they have lived their lives. The astrologers of the temple predict the exact day of their death.
The temple has been described as "a temple with a special atmosphere of death; death is present in almost every ritual and every corner of it."
Tourists may be able to witness open-air cremations on the right bank of the Bagmati where there are numerous platforms for funeral pyres. Cremations here are common and are a reminder of how different much of the world is to the West. This can be quite the culture shock for Westerners unaccustomed to traveling - as can be the smell of cremations. The smell does not steam from decaying flesh or of burning bodies but from the clabber mixed with different spices.
Culturally shocking, disturbing, or even harrowing to many Westerners is the sight of women washing clothes in the river downstream. The waters of the River Bagmati contain fat because of the ashes of the people who have been cremated just upstream. This functions as a kind of soap and enables the women to easily wash dirt out of the linen.
- Monkeys: Tourists Should Watch Out for The Monkeys, They Can Be Unfriendly and Snatch Things From Careless Tourists
If traveling in India, Varanasi should be on one's list of places to visit as it is one of the most famous locations for similar cremations in India.
Pashupatinath Temple and Bodhnath Stupa Tour
While one does not need a guided tour of the temple, one will learn a lot more if one does. One option is the Pashupatinath Temple and Bodhnath Stupa Tour. This tour explores the religious traditions of Kathmandu and explores both the Pashupatinath Hindu temple and the Tibetan Buddhist site at Boudhanath Stupa.
The tours are offered in English and one will learn much about Buddhism and Hinduism. One can even visit a local palm reader. Enjoy lunch on a rooftop restaurant and learn about the beliefs and customs of the colorfully dressed Sadhus Visit Boudhanath.
- Duration: 4 Hours
- Cost: From $60
- Size: Up to 12 People
- Included: Site Entrance Fees
Daily Rituals at the Temple
Pashupatinath is a site of energy with the active participation of people at all times of the day - every day. Some of the schedules of the daily rituals are:
4 am: West Gate Opens For Visitors
8:30 am: Arrival of Pujaris and The Idols Are Bathed and Cleaned, Its Clothes And Jewelry Are Changed
9:30 am: Breakfast Is Offered To The Lord (Called Baal Bhog)
1:50 pm: Lunch If Offered To the Lord
2 pm: Morning Parers Finish
5:15 pm: Evening Aarati Beings
7 pm: Doors Close