Pashupatinath Shakti Peeth is among the 51 Shakti Peeth of Ma Sati. It is said that, the both knees of maa Sati fell here, when lord Vishnu in order to relieve lord Shiva from grief of losing his wife Sati, used his ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ to incise maa Sati Body. Then, at the place of fall of both knees, this temple was constructed. Pashupatinath Shakti Peeth is situated in Bagmati River, Kathmandu, Nepal. Here the idol of maa Sati is called as ‘Guheshwari’ and the lord Shiva is worshipped as ‘Pashupatinath’.
The art and architecture of this temple is quite adorable and have some magnificent piece of work done on the temple, by using small pieces of red stone. There are so many temple of same architecture here, in the vicinity of the Shakti Peeth. The whole ambience around this temple is great and it the feeling of being close to the god, is quite usual here. The entire temple situated here are under the hood of UNESCO world heritage sites. The picturesque views of Bagmati River are quite adorable and the calmness all around here is quite adorable.
History of Pashupatinath Peeth
A famous king named as King Pratap Malla built this Shakti Peeth in the 17th century. The contribution of both Hindu devotees and the Buddhist, was great in making of this Shakti Peeth. History to this place dates back in the time when it is said that the both knees of Maa Sati fell to this place. Best information about the origin and the formation of this temple, people can be taken from with local people. Religious books, Purans etc are worth trying to find out the history about the Shakti Peeth.
Festivals in Pashupatinath temple
- Teej is celebrated with great enthusiasm here. It is mainly involes the ladies and they take bathe in the holy river Bagmati. On this day they wear Red Saris and this festival mainly falls in the month of August, according to the Hindu calendar.
- The spiritual importance of Teej is that, it leads to a long and happy marriage life among the couples.
- Indra Jatra, is quite good famous festival here and celebrated in the month of September to celebrate the harvest season. Himalayan blue is another festival that is celebrated here.
- Navratri that falls two times in a year- one in the month of March or April and other in the September or October month depending on the Hindu calendar, is among the major festival here.
- Navratri are celebrated for over 9 days, with some people not eating any type of food that is derived from the soil for these nine days. Special ceremonies and rituals are carried during these days.
- People (Almost every day) offer their offering to the god in form of fruit, milk, homemade sweets etc.
- Another festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm is the ‘Shiv Ratri’ and during this day, people keep fast, pour milk on the Shiv Lingam and offers ‘Bail’ (A type of fruit) to the god idol.
Where to stay
If you are looking for either cheap or expensive type of accommodation, then both are available here. Here the rent of each room may vary from Rs 400 to Rs 4000. Also there are several non payable guest houses or dharmsalas that are run by the various nonprofit organizations. Beware of the touts who promises to give hi-fi deals with cheap rates.
Shopping around Pashupatinath temple
- Religious Paraphernalia can be bought from the shops that are located just outside the temple.
- Traditional Clothes like hippie gauzes, Monk's robes in saffron and maroons, funky neon trance-wear are quite famous here. Pashmina wool is also in great demand here.
- In terms of jewellery, Silver jewellery is quite in buzz here. Carpets are also in great demand here.
- Bargaining for the items is really necessary here as shopkeepers tend to ask higher price for the good that you want to purchase. A little knowledge about the prices of the basic things in this country will help travelers a lot.
Other places that can be visited nearby
Following are some of the places that you might want to visit:
Swayambhu, Boudha Stupa, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Thamel Chowk, Freak Street, Nasal Chowk, Garden of Dreams, Budda Neelkanth, are some of the star attraction nearby this temple.
Some of the famous temples-
- Taleju Temple
- Narayan Temple
- Shiva-Parvati Temple
- Vishnu temple
- Mahendreswar Temple
- Ashok Binayak
- Shiva Temple
- Maju Deval
- Kumari Palace
- Bhagwati Temple
- Saraswati Temple
- Krishna Temple
- Sweta Bhairab
- Kal Bhairab
- Indrapur Temple
How to reach the Pashupatinath Temple
- Road transport is the most common mode of transportation In Nepal.
- Direct Buses are available from Gorakhpur, Patna etc. Indian Visitors only need passport to visit this temple. There is little fees that pilgrims have to pay for this entry in to the country.
- Kathmandu is the only place where you will get provision of both national and international airway. There are many international flights that fly towards this part of the country.
- Best time to visit this country is in the month of January and March, as the whole country is covered by the mountains, so the weather is quite good.