| Pashupatinath Temple | |
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| Name: | Pashupatinath Temple |
| Date built: | At least 1500 years ago |
| Primary deity: | Pashupatinath |
| Architecture: | pagoda |
| Location: | Kathmandu, Nepal |
Pashupatinath temple (पशुपितनाथ मन्िदर ) is a Hindu temple located on the shore of the Bagmati river on the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. A Hindu temple or Mandir ( Sanskrit: मंदिर is a house of worship for Hindus followers of Hinduism. Bagmati ( Nepal Bhasa:बागमती खुसी बागमती नदी is a river of Nepal. Kathmandu (काठमांडौ येँ is the Capital and the largest city of Nepal. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia.
It is regarded as the most sacred temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal. Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Pashupati ( Sanskrit: Paśupati) "Lord of cattle" is an epithet of the Hindu deity Shiva. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. "Shivaratri" or night of lord Shiva is the most important festival celebrated in this temple. Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivaratri ( Night of Shiva or "Great Night of Shiva" is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on Along the shores of the Bagmati river near the temple lies "Arya Ghat", the most widely used place of cremation for the deceased in Nepal, especially in and around the Kathmandu valley. There is also a large market in the streets surrounding the temple. Vendors sell souvenirs to tourists, but also cloth, dyes, and religious supplies. Believers of the faith Hinduism are allowed to enter the temple. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Non-Hindu visitors are allowed to have a look at the temple from the other bank of Bagmati river.
The priests who perform the services at this temple are always from south India. This tradition is supposed to have started by Sage Shankaracharya in 6th century, ostensibly to stop human sacrifice which was prevalent in that temple. Shankaracharya, ( IAST: Śankarāchārya) is a commonly used title of heads of maţhas (monasteries in the Advaita tradition The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing Another interpretation is that Indian priests are stationed at Pashupatinath because when the King passes away, the entire Nepali people are supposed to stop religious services and enter a year long period of mourning. As the Pashupatinath needs to be eternally worshipped, Indians were brought to make sure that the Pashupatinath is worshipped even at the time of official mourning. One of the best known of these priests was Raval Padmanabha Shastri Adiga (1927-2005). He started as a priest in 1955 and was promoted to Chief priest in 1967. In his time, he started a movement to use the temple funds for local development. He retired in 1993 and moved back to his home town Udupi. Udupi ( Kannada, Tulu: ಉಡುಪಿ Odipu, Konkani - उडुपी) is a city and the headquarters of the Udupi District in
The temple is of pagoda architecture. A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered Tower with multiple Eaves common in China, Japan, Korea The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. The western door has a statue of large bull or Nandi, again covered in gold. The deity is of black stone, about 6 ft in height and about 6ft circumference.
The priests are called Bhattas and the chief priest is known as Mool Bhatt or Raval. Bhaṭṭa or Bhaṭṭ is an Indian surname Bhatt or Bhaṭṭa meaning a priest is a Surname common in most parts of India The chief priest is answerable only to the King of Nepal and reports to him on the matters of temple on periodic basis. The King of Nepal was traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja (श्री 5 महाराजधिराज his queen was known as the Badāmahārānī
East of the temple is the Vasukinath.
Gallery
 Pashupatinath Temple |
 Pilgrim in Pashupatinath |
 Dye seller outside Pashupatinath |
 Shiva temple in Pashupatinath |
 Entrance to main temple, forbidden for Non-hindu's. Shiva's Nandi bull can be seen from the rear |
 Cremations on Bagmati riverbank |
 Sadhu at Pashupatinath |
 A holyman crosses Bagmati river with a plank of wood |
External links
- Pashupatinath Temple Photos, October 2007
- Travel with Young - Pashupatinath Temple 한글
- An interesting article in Hindi about a visit to Pashupatinath Temple, at Geeta-kavita.com
- Describes the history of Pashupatinath and explains clearly about four faces of Lord Pashupatinath
- Images from Pashupatinath
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