Pashupatinath Temple

• Location: Pashupati Nath Road 44621, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
• Opening hours :10:00-17:00 
• Recommended visit time:1-2 hours
• Transportation: Taxi & Motorcycle (Taxi App Pathao)
• Tickets: PPashupatinath Temple: 1000RS

Facts about the Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple On the banks of the Bagmati River, east of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, sits a long-established Hindu temple. Pashupatinath, also known as Pashupatinath Temple, commonly known as the “Burning Temple”, is one of the four major temples dedicated to Shiva in the Indian subcontinent, with construction dating back to 400 AD. It is one of Nepal's famous World Heritage Sites.

In the eyes of the Hindus, human life comes from the five elements of “heaven, earth, water, fire and soil”. Cremation of the dead, scattering ashes into the water, turning them into soil, and handing them over to the earth and heaven, thus returning these five elements to life, so the practice of cremation of the dead is the most natural. When the soul is turned into smoke, the ashes are then swept into the Bagmati River and allowed to flow down the river to the Ganges in India, where life comes to an end.

As the Bagmati flows slowly, crowds of mourners carrying bodies pass by the banks, and it is customary for the men of the bereaved families to shave their hair at the river's edge. Not far away, residents wash their clothes and bathe in the river. On the bridge and by the side of the road lie lazy wild dogs, and groups of monkeys are active and jumping around. On the east side of the temple, there is an old temple converted into a nursing home, the old people in the courtyard leisurely chat, daze. The guide said that they are mostly Hindus, and the cremation pyre across the wall will be their final resting place.

Bounded by a stone bridge, the western side is for commoners and the eastern side is reserved for royalty. The river under the bridge is shallow and gray-green, with large expanses of sand exposed on both sides. Traditionally, the dead are wrapped in yellow scarves or white cloths and placed on stone altars piled with wooden blocks at the river's edge; the taller and larger the platform and the closer it is to the lower reaches, the more honored and the higher the status.

The whole process lasts four or five hours, and once everything is ready the cremation begins. Someone lights a pile of firewood, and the fire gradually rises, expands into flames, and finally becomes a tangle of tongues of fire flying through the air

Myths and legends about the Pashupatinath Temple

‘Pashupatinath Temple’ is another name for Shiva, one of the three phases of the Hindu god, “Pas” meaning “all living beings” and “Pati” meaning “Lord”. Pas means ‘living beings’ and Patti means ‘Lord’, which together means ‘Lord of all living beings’. According to legend, Lord Shiva was tired of the palace he was living in, and in order to prevent other gods from discovering it, he changed his name and came here, and the Pasthapatthana Temple was Shiva's residence at that time.

One of the features of Pashupatinath Temple

There are a number of hermit caves next to the crematorium, where a lot of dishevelled and ragged ascetics practise. This is also a major ‘feature’ of Hinduism, which divides a person's life into four major stages: the period of purification, the period of living at home, the period of practice and the period of asceticism. They generally go through several important stages of life, such as studying, working, and starting a family, and after their children have grown up, they leave home to become God's messengers or servants.

The main task of an ascetic is to meditate and practise, seeking spiritual liberation from the endless cycle of suffering by reducing material life to the simplest level. It is for this reason that ascetics have endured for thousands of years. They are regarded by many as the ‘messengers of God’ who come to the mortal world to deliver all living beings.

This is the power of a faith that may not be understood by us ordinary people, but definitely deserves our respect and our heart.

There are two things you can do at Pashupatinath Temple

1. Overlooking Pashupatinath Temple

Since only Hindus can enter the temple compound, ordinary visitors can only look outside the west gate and see a huge statue of Nandi, the bull that is Lord Shiva's mount. The temple is said to house a black, four-headed deity of Pashupatinath .

Follow the steps on the west side of the temple to climb to the top, you can admire the gilded temple roof from a commanding position. The river bank to the northeast of the temple is where the Hindu ascetics live. Walk across the footbridge to the east bank of the river opposite the temple, there is a row of Shivringa towers. Continue up the steps and there is a viewing platform overlooking the entire Pashupatinath Temple across the river.

2. Watch the cremation ceremony

The Arya Ghat, Nepal's largest crematorium, is located on the river bank to the south of Pashupatinath Temple. The cremation ceremony of ordinary Nepalese takes place almost every day, so the Pashupatinath Temple is also known by many as the "Burning Temple". The bodies of the deceased are wrapped and arranged on the river bank, cremated on the pyre, the whole process is orderly, very quiet, no mourning, the ashes are scattered into the river, and the river flows into the Ganges.

Usually, early morning and late evening are the time to watch the cremation ceremony, but after all, this is a private time for loved ones to grieve, and it is recommended that you do not push into the crowd of cremations and do not take photos while watching.

Paspatina Temple, also known as Paspatina Temple, is a Hindu temple located on the Bagmati River east of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is one of the four temples dedicated to Shiva in the Indian subcontinent, and its construction dates back to 400 AD. For more than 1,500 years, pilgrims have been coming to Paspatina Temple to pay their respects to the great statue of Shiva

The Paspatina Temple is one of the most important temples in Hinduism. The temple, which has a three-story roof and is surrounded by yellow and white painted buildings, is only accessible to Hindus, while visitors stand curiously at the door.

The entrance to the Paspatina Temple is a whole row of shops and stalls, where most of the items sold are flowers and various colors of Tikka powder used by Hindus. This is where Hindus are cremated. Hindus believe that after death, by burning the body and scattering the ashes in a river, the soul can be freed from the body.

There are six stone platforms, two upstream for the royal family or aristocracies, and four downstream for the common people. The Nepalese cremation ceremony is very simple. When the body is cremated, the eldest son of the deceased will shave his head at the river and walk into the river to clean himself. After a simple ceremony, he will wrap his head in a white cloth and burn it on a shelf made of four logs on the platform next to the river. During the cremation ceremony in Nepal, tourists are not banned from taking photos, and most of the tourists are standing on the bridge or sitting on the opposite bank to watch.