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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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PASHUPATINATH, KATHMANDU, NEPAL
Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world 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. The Bagmati is a holy river and the ghats at its bank are the Hindu's truest cremation center.
Locals begin their day by visiting the temple and receiving blessings from lord Shiva early in the morning. Like in Varanasi, India, cremation ghats have been constructed along the river. The banks are lined with steps leading down to the water’s edge, where pilgrims bathe in the holy water.
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Pashupati (Sanskrit: "lord of cattle/livestock") is a name of Rudra-Shiva in the Atharvaveda (the Rigveda has the related pashupa "protector of cattle" as a name of Pushan). Lord Shiva is widely known as Pashupati in contemporary Hinduism. The name has also been interpreted as meaning as "lord of creatures" more generally, compare the biblical "good shepherd" metaphor of e.g. Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd". |
The temple is a beautiful example of pagoda architecture. The two level roofs are made of copper with a gold covering. The temple has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. The western door has a statue of large bull or Nandi which covered in gold. The idol is made of black stone, about 6 ft in height and about 6 foot circumference. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple.
