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PILGRIMAGE SITES
INSIDE THE KATHMANDU VALLEY
 BUDHANILKANTHA
At the base of Shivapuri hill, about 8 kms away in
the northern suburbs of Kathmandu reclining on a
bed of snake is one of the masterpieces of stone
sculptures of the Lichchavi Period,
Budhanilakantha, temple of Lord Vishnu. He lies on
a bed of serpents amidst a pool and seems to float
on water.
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DAKSHINKALI
Dakshinkali, temple of Tantrik Goddess Kali lies
twenty kilometers south of the valley. It is
believed that the ferocious mother goddess gives
strong will power and energy to those who come to
her. Saturdays are good days to visit as there is
always a massive crowd of worshippers who come
from all parts of Nepal to offer prayers and
sacrifices. There is an interest two-hour walk
from Dakshinkali to Gorakhnath, Vajra Jogini,
Pharping and then back to Dakshinkali.
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HIRANYA VARNA MAHAVIHAR (The Golden Temple)
This unique Buddhist (three –story golden pagoda)
monastery is only a few minutes walk north of
Patan Durbar Square. Legends relate that the
monastery was founded in the 12th century by King
Bhaskar Verma although the earliest record of its
existence is 1409. The simple entrance gives no
hint of the magnificent structure in the courtyard
within. The large rectangular building has three
roofs and a copper-gilded facade. Inside the
shrine are images of the Buddha and Avalokitesvara
and a stairway leads to the first floor where
monks will show you the various Buddha images and
frescoes which illustrate the walls. The life of
the Buddha is illustrated in a frieze in front of
the main shrine. Inside the upper story of the
pagoda are the golden images of Lord Buddha and
the large prayer wheel. In the centre of the
courtyard a small but very richly decorated a
golden roof with an extremely ornate gajur.
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KAPAN MONASTERY
Famous for educational and meditation retreat
program, Kopan Monastery is situated in the serene
Kopan village north of Bouddhanath. Built in 1972
to train Sherpa monks from Lawundo Monastery in
the Everest area of Khumbu belongs to Gelukpa
sect. Its programs emphasize the traditional
system of Buddhist education about Prajnaparamita,
Adhidharma, Vinaya and Madhyamika. Kopan Monastery
offers courses based on Lam Rim (the Graded path
to Enlightenment). Famous monks such as Kyabje
sing Rinpoche of Ganden, Tsenshab Serkong Rinpoche
Geshe Sopa, Lubum Rinpoche Geshe Sopa, Lubum
Rinpoche Gomchen Jamalpa and Geshe Losang Jampa
have given initiations as the monastery on
important Buddhist topics of Vajrasattva
Vajrayogini, Rinjun Gyatsa, Yamantaka Guru
devotion, Jorcho, Bodhicitta teachings and Geshul
vows. The monastery also offers Vajrasattva
retreat programs
and rituals to purify negative actions. It also
hosted the commemoration of ten great deeds of
Shakyamuni Nyuugne.
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KRISHNA MANDIR
Situated center-stage, is the Krishna Mandir
which is dedicated to Krishna and was built by
King Siddhinarsingha Malla. Records indicate that
the temple was completed with the installation of
the image on the first floor in 1637. With its
strong Moghul influences this stone temple is
clearly of Indian design unlike the nearby brick
and timber, multi-roofed Nepalese temples. The
first and second floors are made up of a line of
pavilions from the top of which rises a
corncob-like shikhara. Musicians can often be
heard playing upstairs. A major festival is held
here in August/September on the occasion of
Krishna's birthday, Krishnasthami.
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KUMARI TEMPLE (LIVING GODDESS)
Kumari represent a very ancient Hindu deity of
Nepal locally known as Taleju, is Buddhist by
birth. The temple of Kumari is situated in the
vicinity of Hanumandhoka palace. The building has
intricately carved wooden balconies and window
screens. The Kumari acknowledges greetings from
her balcony window. During Indra Jatra festival
Nepal seeks the blessing of Kumari once a year.
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MACHHINDRANATH
There is a historical importance of Machhindranath.
Machhindranath is the god of rain. There are two
Machhindranath temples in the Kathmandu valley.
The first one is red Machhindranath. The pagoda of
red Machhindranath built in 1408 AD and situated
in Tabahal for six months and deity is taken to
other shrine in Bungamati of Patan. Another one is
Seto Machhindranath, situated at Machhindra Bahal
between Ason and Indrachowk. It is a pagoda of
considerable artistic beauty; the deity is also
called Janmadyo.
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NYATAPOLE TEMPLE
King Bhupatindra Malla built this five-story
pagoda in 1702 AD. It stands on a five-terraced
platform. On each of the terrace squat a pair of
figures. This is one of the tallest pagodas and is
famous for its massive structure and subtle
workmanship.
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SHOVA BHAGWATI
One of the famous temples of Goddess Durga, the
Shovabhagwati Temple is believed to have been
built in the Licchhavi period. After major
renovations, the temple stands tall attracting
devotees from near and far. The Goddess
Shovabhagwati is one of the forms of Durga.
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TALEJU BHAWANI
The Taleju Temple at Hanuman Dhoka is opened for
the public only once a year on the ninth day 'Nawami'
of Dashain Thus, Taleju is of great importance on
Dashain; and the temple is inundated with devotees
from dawn to dusk.
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VAJRAYOGINI
Vajrayogini is a Tantric deity. There are four
Vajrayogini temples in Kathmandu. One of them is
the famous Vajrayogini of Sankhu, east of
Kathmandu. The Newars call it Gum Vihara. The main
feature of this Vihara is the three storied, gild
roof temple dedicated to Vajrayogini built in the
traditional pagoda style. It is said that this
image of Vajrayogini was brought to Nepal in 1350
AD by a Bengali priest. A tympanum hanga above the
main shrine-depicting image of the eight handed
Tantric deity holding eight different symbols. The
deity is surrounded by Vajrasattva, Vajradhara and
five transcendental Buddha’s. The image in the
main shrine is decorated with ornaments. Her
complexion is red and her two visible hands hold
on brandishing sword and the other holding a blue
lotus flower. Her mantra is believed to destroy
obstacles and protect devotees. Shrines of Bhairav
and Ganesh adorm the Vajrayogini vicinity. A large
stupa stands between the main shrine of
Vajrayogini and Bhairabsthan.
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PILGRIMAGES OUTSIDE THE KATHMANDU VALLEY
BARAHA CHHETRA
A few Km from the main city of Biratnagar is
Baraha Chhetra, a Hindu pilgrimage site, located
at the confluence of two rivers, the Sapta Koshi
and the Kokaha. There is a temple of Lord Baraha,
the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Historians
have traced the existence of this image to the
12th century.
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DEVGHAT
Devghat is a popular pilgrimage spot situated at
the confluence of the Kali Gandaki & Trishuli
rivers; it lies just north of the Royal Chitwan
National Park. During the Makar Sakranti festival
in January, Hindu devotes gather here to take holy
dips in the river. There are a number of sacred
and historic sites around Devghat.
Devghat: Is one of the most important holy places
in Nepal, it is situated 6 km away from
Narayanghat, the gateway to Royal Chitwan National
Park. As the place is located on the confluence of
Kalignadaki and Trishuli Rivers, plays a
significant role from the religious point of view,
thus people come here on the day of Maker Sankrati
to have a holy dip on the Narayani River, formed
by Kaligandaki and Trishuli River.
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GOSAINKUNDA
One of the most famous pilgrimage destinations
of Nepal is Gosainkunda Lake, which is situated at
an altitude of about 4360 meters. The best
approach to Gosainkunda is through Dhunche Bazaar,
1232 km to the northeast of Kathmandu. Dhunche is
linked with Kathmandu by a motor able road.
Surrounded by high mountains on the north and
south, the lake is grand and picturesque. There
are other nine famous lakes such as Saraswati,
Bhairav, Surya, Ganesh Kunda etc. Hundreds of
people including Indian’s pay their visit
specially during the month of August (there is a
festival called Janai Purnima, biggest festival
for Brahmins) and have course many trekkers each
year through this route to Helambu.
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JANAKPUR
Named
after the legendary King Janak, Janakpur was the
capital of the ancient Kingdom Mithila. It is the
birth country of goddess Sita, the heroine of the
great Hindu epic Ramayana. Janakpur has become a
great piligrimage site for Hindus because of the
sacred sites; the Janaki Mandir, the Ram Sita
bibaha mandap, built over the spot where Ram and
Sita were said to be married, Ram Mandir and the
holy pond Dhanush Sagar. Besides the religious
importance, Janakpur is also the center for the
revival of the ancient Mithila art and craft. As a
tradition, Mithila women have always been
decorating the walls of their houses with
paintings depicting figures from Hindu mythology
in abstract forms, sometimes resembling a mandala.
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MANAKAMANA
The wish – Fulfilling Goddess also known as
the Devi of all wishes Manakamana has been widely
venerated all over the country, also due to Royal
patronage. The famous shrine of Manakamana lies
about 12 kilometers south of the historic town of
Gorkha and 6 km north of Mugling on the Prithivi
High way. Mugling is 110 km west of Kathmandu, 90
km from Pokhara and 50 km from Chitwan. The shrine
is located on a prominent ridge (1,302 m)
overlooking the river valleys of Trishuli to the
south and Marsyangdi to the west. One of the
private agencies has already started first Nepal’s
famous Cable Car service. The Cable Car covers the
2.8 kilometers stretch from Cheres along the
Prithivi High way right up to the temple in less
then 10 minutes.
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MUKTINATH
It is believed that all miseries sorrows are
relieved once you visit this temple (Mukti=Nirvana,
Nath=God). The famous temple of Lord Muktinath
lies in lies in the district of Mustang and is
situated about 18km northeast of Jomsom at an
altitude of about 3,749m. The main shrine is a
pagoda temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Sets into
the wall around it are 108 waterspouts from which
pour holy water. The temple is situated on a high
mountain range and is visited during fair weather.
There are two ways to go Muktinath; either takes a
flight from Kathmandu via Pokhara to Jomsom and
7-8 hours hike or trek of 7-8 days. It is believed
that one should visit this temple after competing
pilgrimages of four Dhams in India. This temple
held sacred by Hindus as well as Buddhists. The
Jwala Mai temple nearby contains a spring and an
eternal flame fed by natural gas underground.
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NAMO BUDDHA
Namo Buddha meaning "hail to the Buddha" a
sacred site, where according to legend Buddha
sacrificed his body to feed a starving tigress &
her cubs. A carved stone slab at the main stupa
depicts the moving story. It is situated on a hill
above Panauti is an authentic Buddhist shrine.
Nepalese and Tibetan Buddhists with the all-seeing
eyes of enlightened one. This serene proves to be
an ideal spot for sentimental meditation. A road
leads up to Namo Buddha from Dhulikhel. A
different trail returns descending south through a
forest heading west up a long vale for a round
trip walk of six to seven hours, or 2 to 3 hours
to Panauti.
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BINDHABASINI
In the north part of town pleasantly located in
the area of mountain views is the Bindhyabasini
Temple of goddess Durga manifested in the form
of a shalagram. The featured deity, Bindyabasini,
is an incarnation of Kali the mother goddess in
her blood thirsty aspect, who is represented by
Saligram, an auspicious stone as per the Hindu
Mythology. Animal sacrifices are common at this
temple, particular on Saturday and on the ninth
day of Dashain, the biggest Hindu festival of
Nepal.
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