Pashupatinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the biggest temples for the Hindus in Nepal. Pashupatinath is a holy temple of Hindu lord Shiva who is known as Pashupati that means the master of the whole universe. The most important festival celebrated in this temple is Shivaratri or the nights of lord Shiva. Every day you will find hordes of people from all over Nepal and India pilgrimaging to the Pashupatinath Temple in order to give worship to Pashupati. They start off this process early in the morning where they are blessed by Lord Shiva. Each year there is a formal celebration called Shivaratri, which means “night of Lord Shiva”, that is attended by thousands of people.
The River Bagmati that flows next to Pashupatinath temple is also a holy river with many sacred properties. Hindu devotee plunge into the holy Bagmati river daily and recite the verse from the ancient Vedas. It is believed that plunging or bathing into the holy river releases from the cycle of rebirth. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, so it has a reputation of “The Temple of Living Beings”.
The priests who perform the services at this temple are always from south India. This tradition is supposed to have started by Sage Shankaracharya in 6th century, ostensibly to stop human sacrifice which was prevalent in that temple. Another interpretation is that Indian priests are stationed at Pashupatinath because when the King passes away, the entire Nepali people are supposed to stop religious services and enter a year long period of mourning.
As the Pashupatinath needs to be eternally worshipped, Indians were brought to make sure that the Pashupatinath is worshipped even at the time of official mourning. One of the best known of these priests was Raval Padmanabha Shastri Adiga (1927-2005). He started as a priest in 1955 and was promoted to Chief priest in 1967. In his time, he started a movement to use the temple funds for local
development. He retired in 1993 and moved back to his home town Udupi.
The temple is located in the eastern part of Kathmandu and is situated on the banks of Bagmati river. This temple is also listed under the UNESCO world heritage sites in Nepal. Pashupatinath Temple, with its astonishing architectural beauty, stands as a symbol of faith, religion, culture and tradition. The main pagoda exhibits the sacred linga or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva.
The temple is believed to have been build around 400 A.D. Millions of pilgrims now come from all over the world to pay homage to this temple. Non-Hindus are not entertained into the temple, so they have to feed their eyes from outside even after paying the entry fees. However, they are allowed to see the temple from the other side of the bank of the Bagmati river. Another interesting thing here is that only the four priests appointed by the king can touch the idol of Lord Shiva, even the Hindu pilgrims are not allowed to touch them.
Usually months from October-March are the best ones to visit here. You can also plan to be a part of the great Mahashivratri festival which usually falls in the month of Feb or March and is celebrated with great pomp and show.This temple is just 5 km away from the center of Kathmandu towards north-eastern side. There is a regular bus service to and from from this place.
The River Bagmati that flows next to Pashupatinath temple is also a holy river with many sacred properties. Hindu devotee plunge into the holy Bagmati river daily and recite the verse from the ancient Vedas. It is believed that plunging or bathing into the holy river releases from the cycle of rebirth. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, so it has a reputation of “The Temple of Living Beings”. The priests who perform the services at this temple are always from south India. This tradition is supposed to have started by Sage Shankaracharya in 6th century, ostensibly to stop human sacrifice which was prevalent in that temple. Another interpretation is that Indian priests are stationed at Pashupatinath because when the King passes away, the entire Nepali people are supposed to stop religious services and enter a year long period of mourning.
As the Pashupatinath needs to be eternally worshipped, Indians were brought to make sure that the Pashupatinath is worshipped even at the time of official mourning. One of the best known of these priests was Raval Padmanabha Shastri Adiga (1927-2005). He started as a priest in 1955 and was promoted to Chief priest in 1967. In his time, he started a movement to use the temple funds for local
development. He retired in 1993 and moved back to his home town Udupi.
The temple is located in the eastern part of Kathmandu and is situated on the banks of Bagmati river. This temple is also listed under the UNESCO world heritage sites in Nepal. Pashupatinath Temple, with its astonishing architectural beauty, stands as a symbol of faith, religion, culture and tradition. The main pagoda exhibits the sacred linga or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva.
The temple is believed to have been build around 400 A.D. Millions of pilgrims now come from all over the world to pay homage to this temple. Non-Hindus are not entertained into the temple, so they have to feed their eyes from outside even after paying the entry fees. However, they are allowed to see the temple from the other side of the bank of the Bagmati river. Another interesting thing here is that only the four priests appointed by the king can touch the idol of Lord Shiva, even the Hindu pilgrims are not allowed to touch them.
Usually months from October-March are the best ones to visit here. You can also plan to be a part of the great Mahashivratri festival which usually falls in the month of Feb or March and is celebrated with great pomp and show.This temple is just 5 km away from the center of Kathmandu towards north-eastern side. There is a regular bus service to and from from this place.
Comments
Post a Comment