Temples
you should visit while you are in Kathmandu
Previously, Nepal was known as "Hindu Rastra," but now it is a secular country where you can see different religious groups. Still, the majority of people are Hindu, and Hinduism is referred to as' Sanatan Dharma’. Many scholars believe that Hinduism originated in the Indus Valley near Pakistan's border between 2300 and 1500 BC, and that it was brought to Nepal in 2000 BC from the Indus Valley.
Since then, Nepal has become one of the prominent countries for
Hinduism. Religious belief is one of the integral parts of many Nepalese lives.
Due to the majority of Hindus, every city is filled with thousands of temples
and shrines, and among many cities, Kathmandu is known as the "City of
Temples". Some of the temples are known as the holiest places to attain
salvation, and every temple has massive religious values. From living goddess
to mythological god, Nepal carries significant religious beliefs.
Devotees
need to visit this temple once in a lifetime. Here are some temples which carry
great religious values in Hindu society.
Pashupatinath
Temple
This
UNSECO heritage site is one of the major and most visited holy places in the
world. It is located on the bank of Bagmati (Holiest) river of Nepal. The
meaning of Pashupatinath is "Pashu" means animal and
"Patinath" means "lord or protector". There are different
legends about how this temple is originated. One of the famous and widely
believe legend is "The cow legend". This legend happens during the
time of Gopal dynasty (First dynasty of Nepal). Gopal’s (cowherd) were brought
by lord Krishna in Nepal. There was a cow who always go somewhere and come
back. Cowherd was so curious where does this cow go every day. One day he
followed his cow and saw something unusual. Cow was giving milk by herself on
the small whole of barren land. After seeing this unusual activity, he started
to dig what might be there. When he was digging Suddenly, there was bright
light which almost make him blind. After disappearance of that light, he saw a
statute of Linga of lord shiva. This is how temple was formed. Even though
there are different legends like Pashupatinath was build way before then Gopal
dynasty. You can believe which legend you found because there is not exact date
or time how this temple is formed.
Since
then, this temple has been renovated several times. One of the interesting
facts about this temple is that its main complex and sanctum sanctorum were
left unharmed during the deadliest earthquake of 2015 in Nepal. even though the
surroundings were harmed by the earthquake. This three-story pagoda-style
structure is surrounded by numerous temples and statues, including Unmatta
Bhairava Temple, Surya Narayana Temple, Kirtimukha Bhairava, Budhanilakantha,
Hanuman shrine, 184 Sivalinga shrine, Ram mandir, Virat Swaroop temple, 12 jyotirlinga,
and Pandra Shivalaya, Guhyeshwari Temple, and the half-buried monument of This
place is very famous for performing the last rites of Hindu people. There is a
legend that says burning the dead body and scattering the ashes of the dead
body on the holy river Bagmati will forgive every sin they committed.
This
temple carries incomparable religious significance during various festivals.
Shiva Ratri is one of the biggest festivals for Hindus. People all around the
world visit this temple on this day. This board member of Pashupatinath has
witnessed 1.5 million devotees during this 2-week long festival. Teej is
another major festival for Nepalese women, where women wait in a queue from 3
am to worship Shiva. Almost 600,000 women visit this temple on Teej. And every
Monday people visit this temple in the holy month of Hindu "Shawan",
and every Monday thousands of devotees go to see "Sandhyaa Aarati".
According to Hindu mythology, it is one of the major temples among the other
four temples. It is believed that devotees need to visit this temple once in
their lifetime. A few other facts about this temple are that, except for
Hindus, other people cannot enter the main temple. Tourists can enjoy the
surroundings of this temple. Except for the main Pujari (priest), devotees are
not permitted to touch Shiva's statue, even with his assistance.Devotees need
to follow strict rules and regulations while visiting this most sacred temple
in the world.
Budanilkantha
Temple
This
statue of Lord Vishnu is known as the most sacred place on earth for Hindu
devotees. This open-air Vishnu temple is located on the edge of Shivapuri
National Park, 10 km away from the Kathmandu valley. This lying statue of
Vishnu on serpents carved on a single stone is over 1000 years old and a major
artistic hub in the ancient history of Nepal. It is regarded as one of the
"Trimurtis", along with Brahma and Shiva. The meaning of
Budanilkantha is "old blue throat" in Sanskrit. There are different
legends about this temple. According to Ramayan, this statute is related to
another famous religious lake, Gosaikunda (Lord Shiva), which is known as the
water source of Budanilkantha temple, where Vishnu drank poison and kept it in
his throat. That poison turns Vishnu’s throat blue, and this is how this temple
is also named. Other well-known legends include the floating statue of Vishnu,
the origin of the statue, and the mirror image.Another very famous legend,
followed by every royal family for 1000s of years, is that Nepalese royal
families should never visit this temple because this temple is cursed for
kings’ families. A very famous fair takes place on Haribondhini Ekadashi, which
is also known as "the day for Vishnu to wake up". Other than Hindu
people, they cannot enter the main temple but can visit the premise of the
temple and Shivpuri national park. Cameras and mobile phones are strictly
prohibited.
Swayambhunath
Stupa
Famously
known as the Monkey Temple, it is located in the middle of Kathmandu on the top
of a hill. It is one of the world's most sacred places for both Hindus and
Buddhists (mostly for Buddhists). Asia's oldest and biggest round temple in the
world is very rich both historically and artistically. This temple has
different legends according to mythological and real life. According to historians,
this temple was built by the great grandfather of King Manadeva and is proved
by some inscriptions found on stone as well. Other temples and shrines were
built in the Licchavi period. This architectural hub is designed in the shape
of an earth (dome) with four big eyes, five Buddhas (implementing five valuable
characteristics), and 13 stages of nirvana on the top. Here the dome indicates
the earth, which means the way to enlightenment after waking up, leaving
everything behind. Four eyes, known as the eyes of Buddha, represent wisdom and
compassion, and 13 stages represent the steps to reach enlightenment. Apart
from the architecture and beauty, travelers can enjoy a panoramic view of the
valley. There is no religious barrier to visiting this temple.
Boudhanath Stupa
This
famous UNESCO heritage site is known for having the largest spherical temple in
the world. Along with more than 50 Gumbas, this place has become the center of
Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhism. Many Tibetans and Nepalese people used to
conduct business through this route. During their business trips, they used to
offer prayers for their well-being. It has already started to build Gumbas by
Tibetans. After a major political revolution in Tibet, many refugees fled to
Nepal and started to live around Boudhanath. As a result, many stupas and
gumbas were built by Tibetans. There are various legends regarding this temple.
According
to Newar Buddhist mythology, "There was a palace of Licchavi king
Vikramaditya where now Narayanhiti Palace is located," and the king gave
order to build a Dhungedhara in the southern part of the palace. Dhara didn’t
generate any water after completion. So, King Vikramaditya tried to seek advice
from an astrologer, who gave advice that a male candidate with Battis-Lakshanas
needed to be sacrificed in order to bring water. After the astrologer's advice,
he started searching for a possible contender. Even after searching, there was
no right candidate except for him and his son. Thus, the king decided to sacrifice
himself and gave order to his son. While they were cutting him, his neck flew
near to the Sankhu Bajrayogini Temple. After such a heart-breaking sacrifice,
his son decided to cut the head of the hen and throw it from the top of Sankhu
Bajrayogini Temple. The prince promised to build a stupa where the head of hen lands.
This is how this stupa is formed. This stupa is very secular. Anybody can
visit, from anywhere from a strict devotee to an atheist. According to legend,
if a believer worships and prays with a pure heart, their wish will be granted.
