PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE

Pashupatinath Temple

Ø     Pashupatinath temple is the one of the biggest Hindu temple of Lord Shiva in the world located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Ø     The temple served as the seat of national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized. The temple is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Ø     Believers in Pashupatinath mainly Hindus are allowed to enter the temple premises. Anyone not born in Nepal or India is considered a non-Hindu by the temple authorities.

Ø     Non-Hindu visitors are allowed to have a look at the temple from the other bank of Bagmati river. It is regarded as the most sacred among the temples of Lord Shiva Pashupati.

Legend

Ø     Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu.

Ø     It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was founded. But according to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, one day Lord Shiva grew tired of his palace atop Mt. Kailash and so went in search of a place where he could escape to.

Ø      He discovered Kathmandu Valley and, without telling anyone, he ran away from his palace and came to live in the Valley. He gained great fame there as Pashupati, Lord of the Animals, before the other gods discovered his hiding place and came to fetch him.

Ø     He disguised himself as a majestic deer and would not help the other gods when they asked for his help. When Shiva did not yield to their pleas, they planned to use force.

Ø     God Vishnu grabbed him by his horns and they shattered into pieces. Vishnu established a temple and used the broken horns to form a linga on the bank of the Bagmati River.

Ø     As time went by, the temple was buried and forgotten. Then a cow was known to have secretly sprinkled her milk over the mound. Apparently, when the cow herders dug around the spot, they found the lost lingas and again built a temple in reverence.

History

Ø     The temple was first established in the 17th century.

Ø     The priests who perform the services at this temple have been Namboodiri Brahmins from South India origin since the time of Malla king Yaksha Malla.

Ø     This tradition is supposed to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam meaning Unified India by encouraging cultural exchange.

Ø     The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 priests can touch the idol. The priests are always from south Indian origin.

Ø     This tradition is supposed to have started by Sage Shankaracharya in 17th century, ostensibly to stop human sacrifice which was prevalent in that temple.

Ø     This procedure is also followed in other temples around India which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. Malla kings honoured the request of Adi shankarachaya as latter being one of the greatest ever Hindu acharyas.

Ø     However,this tradition was recently challenged after the historic revolution in Nepal which demolished the monarchy and established democracy where Nepalese priests supported by the anti- Indian Maoists government.

Ø     There was widespread protests by most Nepalese as they saw this as an intereference in their religion.

Temple architecture

Ø     The temple is of pagoda style of architecture. All the features of pagoda style is founded here like cubic constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest meaning tundal.

Ø     The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle, Gajur, which is a symbol of religious thought.

Ø     The western door has a statue of large bull or Nandi, again covered in gold. The deity is of black stone, about 6 feet in height and the same in circumference.

Ø     Vasukinath lies to the east of Pashupatinath.

What to See

Ø     Pashupati Temple stands in the center of the town of Deopatan, in the middle of an open courtyard. It is a square, two-tiered pagoda temple built on a single-tier plinth, and it stands 23.6 meters above the ground. Richly ornamented gilt and silver-plated doors are on all sides.

Ø     On both sides of each door are niches of various sizes containing gold-painted images of guardian deities. Inside the temple itself is a narrow ambulatory around the sanctum.

Ø     The sanctum contains a one-meter high linga with four faces representing Pashupati, as well as images of Vishnu, Surya, Devi and Ganesh.

Ø     The priests of Pashaputinath are called Bhattas and the chief priest is called Mool Bhatt or Raval. The chief priest is answerable only to the King of Nepal and reports to him on temple matters on a periodic basis.

Ø     The struts under the roofs, dating from the late 17th century, are decorated with wood carvings of members of Shiva's family such as Parvati, Ganesh, Kumar or the Yoginis, as well as Hanuman, Rama, Sita, Lakshman and other gods and goddesses from the Ramayana.

Ø     Pashaputi Temple's extensive grounds include many other old and important temples, shrines and statues. South of the temple, for instance, is Chadeshvar, an inscribed Licchavi linga from the 7th century, and north of the temple is a 9th-century temple of Brahma.

Ø     On the south side of Pashupati temple is the Dharmashila, a stone where sacred oaths are taken, and pillars with statues of various Shah kings.

Ø     In the northeast corner of the temple courtyard is the small pagoda temple of Vasuki, the King of the Nagas. One can often see devotees circumambulating and worshipping Vasuki before entering the main sanctum.

Ø     The Bagmati River, which runs next to Pashaputinath Temple, has highly sacred properties. Thus the banks are lined with many ghats (bathing spots) for use by pilgrims.

Ø     Renovating or furnishing these sites has always been regarded as meritorious.

Ø     Arya Ghat, dating from the early 1900s, is of special importance because it is the only place where lustral water for Pashupatinath Temple can be obtained and it is where members of the royal family are cremated.

Ø     The main cremation site is Bhasmeshvar Ghat, which is the most-used cremation site in the Kathmandu Valley. The preferred bathing spot for women is the Gauri Ghat, to the north.

Ø     Pashupatinath Temple, with its astonishing architectural beauty, stands as a symbol of faith, religion, culture and tradition. Regarded as the most sacred temple of Hindu Lord Shiva in the world, Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D.

Ø     The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple,that is also known as 'The Temple of Living Beings'.

Interesting places to See

» Gold-painted images of guardian deities
» Chaturmukha (four-faced statue)
» Chadeshvar, an inscribed Licchavi linga from the 7th century
» Brahma Temple
» Dharmashila, a stone where sacred oaths are taken
» Arya Ghat
» Gauri Ghat for holy bath
» Pandra Shivalaya meaning 15 shrines.
» Gorakhnath and Vishwarup Temples
» Guhyeshwari Temple
» Kirateshwar Mahadeva Mandir and Surya Ghat

Architecture

» The two level roofs of the temple are embellished with gold and the four main doors are adorned with silver.
» The temple is famous for its awe-inspiring and astounding pagoda architecture.
» The western door has a statue of a large Bull, Nandi, is ornamented in gold. This black stone idol, about 6 ft in height and circumference, adds to the beauty and charisma of the temple.
» The present architectural nature of Pashupatinath temple came into existence as a result of renovation by Queen Gangadevi during the reign of Shivasimha Malla (1578-1620 AD).

Auspicious Days to Visit

Ø     In August, during the Teej festival, thousands of women visit the temple to bathe in the holy waters of the Bagmati River. Because this ritual is meant to bring a long and happy marriage, many women dress in red saris, which are traditionally worn for wedding ceremonies.

Ø     Full moon and New moon days are also considered auspicious to visit the temple.

Ø     A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal and other parts of Asia.

Ø     Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near temples. This term may refer to other religious structures in some countries.

Ø     In Vietnam, pagoda is a more generic term referring to a place of worship, although pagoda is not an accurate word to describe a Buddhist temple. The modern pagoda is an evolution of the Ancient Indian stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated.

Ø     The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design.

Ø     Arniko, the famed architect of Nepal, is widely believed to have taken this architectural form to other parts of Asia, leading to the development of the pagoda design unique to China, Japan and the rest of the continent.

ORIGIN

Ø     The origin of the pagoda can be traced to the Indian stupa 3rd century BC.

Ø     The stupa emerged as a distinctive style of Indian architecture and was adopted in Southeast and East Asia

Ø     In East Asia, the architecture of Chinese towers and Chinese pavilions blended into pagoda architecture, eventually also spreading to Southeast Asia.

Ø     The pagoda's original purpose was to house relics and sacred writings.

Ø     This purpose was popularized due to the efforts of Buddhist missionaries, pilgrims, rulers etc.

Architecture

Ø     Pagodas attract lightning strikes because of their height.

Ø     This tendency may have played a role in their perception as spiritually charged places. Many pagodas have a decorated finial at the top of the structure.

Ø     The finial is designed in such a way as to have symbolic meaning within Buddhism; for example, it may include designs representing a lotus.

Ø     The finial also functions as a lightning rod, and thus helps to both attract lightning and protect the pagoda from lightning damage.

Ø      Early pagodas were constructed out of wood, but steadily progressed to sturdier materials, which helped protect against fires and rot.

Ø     Pagodas traditionally have an odd number of levels, a notable exception being the eighteenth century pagoda "folly" designed by Sir William Chambers at Kew Gardens in London.