The Lord Shiva Temple of Pashupatinath in Katmandu, Nepal

One of the most famous Lord Shiva temples is situated in Katmandu, capital city of Nepal. Nepal is situated in the North side of India. I had an opportunity to visit this Pashupatinath Lord Shiva temple at Katmandu in Nepal during last February during my tour to Nepal. Pashupatinath temple is one of the twelve Swayambhoo temples of Lord Shiva. One can reach Katmandu either by air from Delhi, Calcutta, or Mumbai or by road from Gorakhpur side crossing the border between India and Nepal. The most convenient way to reach Katmandu is by air from any of the major cities of India like Mumbai, Delhi, and Calcutta.

This famous temple is located at around 3 miles away from Katmandu city at the village of Devipatan, situated on the shore of River Vaghmati. There are stepped approaches at this village on both East and the West side of the temple from the river shore. This temple is around 50 feet high with three floors. The top of this temple is covered with the golden sheets that shine brightly in the sunlight. There are small bells arranged on the roof of the temple. These bells play very sweet and delicious music when the wind blows. The Shiva lingam here is around 3 feet tall, having four faces in every direction. Each of this faces are covered with the gold crown and the gold top. There is a large open area all around this temple. It is considered unholy to enter the temple from the West direction. Hence, all the pilgrims enter through the East side gate of the temple. As soon as you enter the main temple, a very large Nandi is seen that blocks the complete view of the main Shiva Lingam. This Nandi is made up of shining brass and is considered equally holy compared to Lord Shiva.

The foreigners are not allowed inside this temple. They have to remain outside the gate only from where they can only view the back of Nandi. The cameras are also strictly not allowed inside the temple. There is a very large bell opposite to the East side main gate of the temple. All the pilgrims have to ring this bell at least once so as to treat their pilgrimage complete. There is a belief that there are lots of gold coins kept inside the Nandi by earlier rulers of Nepal. The Mahapuja of Lord Shiva is held here at this temple on Mahashivratri day, which is the birthday of Lord Shiva. Thousands of visitors visit this temple on that auspicious day. There are lots of monkeys inside the temple and you will have to take care as these monkeys can snatch the food items from your hands and run away. Taking a bath in the River Vaghmati before entering the temple is considered very holy. The natural beauty of this river shore is very appealing and all the pilgrims derive a divine pleasure by sitting here for around an hour.

The taxis and hired cars are easily available from city of Katmandu to reach here. There are many hotels available in all the ranges for staying at Katmandu. Some of such hotels are Hotel Sita, hotel Aradhana, Hotel Everest, and Hotel Samudra. The five star hotel Yak and Yeti is very famous here. This hotel charges around Rs.6000 ($150) per day for an excellent double room. There is also a gambling casino available at this hotel for gambling. However, only foreigners are allowed in this casino for gambling. The Nepalis are not allowed to gamble here. There are many restaurants and bars available for the tourists all over the city of Katmandu. There are many other sites seeing places also available in Katmandu like sleeping Vishnu, Royal palace, Botanical garden, Zoo, Swayambhoo temple of Lord Buddha, and various shopping malls. The tourists can easily stay here for around 4 to 5 days to fully enjoy the beautiful site seeing places of Nepal. If you have time and the opportunity, you can travel in the interior of Nepal up to Pokhra where adventurous rides of rubber boats in the River Vaghmati are available. There are forest huts also available to stay in the middle of the thick forest. These huts are operated by Government of Nepal and are available at the rates of Rs.3000 ($75) per day. The Indian currency is easily acceptable here at all the places. However, the local currency is Nepali Rupee. You do not need a visa for Nepal if you are holding Indian passport.

Nepal is the country whose economy is mainly dependant on the tourists visiting Katmandu from all over the world. In any case, it is really worth visiting Nepal as it has many wonderful sites seeing and holy places.