Situated 5 km east of Kathmandu city center, Pashupati literally means "lord of animals" and is considered to be the patron deity of Nepal .Pashupatinath is regarded as one of the holiest sites for Hindus all over the world.
Pashupatinath temple is a pagoda style two-tiered golden roof with exquisitely carved four silver doors containing in its sanctum a phallic idol with four faces facing each direction and the other fifth one is looking up toward the zenith .A temple is claimed to have been built by king Bhupalendra Malla in 1697 A.D. Legend has it that a cow would frequently escape from its herds and offer milk on a jyotirlinga (phallic symbol of Shiva ) which denotes the point where the temple stands today. It is said that a certain cowherd much to his surprise found the self-generated Jyotrilinga (phallic symbol of Shiva) when he dug the spot where the cow would give milk. the spot immediately became the center of worship that has been continued till today.
Legend also mentions that the pandavas after the great Mahabharata battle were told that only by sighting Shiva would they be absolved of their sins and it was at this very spot that they saw the lord. Hence,this most scared abode of Shiva ,who is the God of the gods- Mahadeva-merits a visit by all Hindus,at least once in a lifetimes ,to be truly blessed and cleansed .It is believed that pilgrimage to the four dhams like Dwarika, Kedar ,Rameshwor and Jaganath of India becomes meaningful only after a final darshan of pashupatinath and by taking a holy dip in the BAgmati River and conducting a proper puja . There are temples of other Hindu deities in Pashupati premises like Bhairavnath , Vasuki nag, Parbati temple ,Ram mandir ,Vishwo rup ,gorkhnath ,Kirateshwor temple and dozens of temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses.
A consisderable part of the temple vicinity is converted to rest and prayer areas. Behind the temple on the banks of Bagmati is a crematorium for Hindus . IT is the wish of every Hindu to be cremated on the bank of the Bagmati river near the temple. At the other end of the Pashupatinath temple across the Bagmati river.It is also interesting to watch the monkeys roam in and around the temple freely .One may also observe Sadhus smeared with ashes and dressed in lion-cloths and the hindus Brahmins offering Tika and blessing to the visitors .Pashupatinath attracts thousands of piligrims on spring festival Maha Shivaratri(feb-March) The day dedicated to shiva ,Hari ralika/Teej (aug- sept),Janai purnima (july-aug) and all monkeys of the month of shrawan (july- aug). PLACE TO VISIT.
