Two Pashupatinath temples are famous globally, one in Kathmandu of Nepal and the other in Mandsaur of India. The idols in both temples are of similar shape. The temple of Nepal is located in Kathmandu on the banks of the Bagmati River and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This temple is grand, and tourists from all over the country and abroad come here.
* Meaning of Pashupati.
Pashu means Jiva or creature and Pati means owner, and Nath means owner or God. This means that Pashupatinath is the lord or God of all the creatures of the world. In another sense, Pashupatinath means lord of life.
* An Introduction to Baba Pashupati Nath.
The temple of Pashupatinath in Nepal is situated on the banks of the Bagmati river in Dev Patan village near Kathmandu. There is a five-faced idol of Lord Shiva in the temple. The Pashupatinath Deity has one face in all four directions and one face upwards. There is a rosary of Rudraksha in the right hand of each face, and in the left hand, there is a lotus. According to the belief, the Jyotirlinga of the Pashupatinath temple is like a Paras stone. It is said that these five faces represent different directions and qualities. The one facing east is called Tatpurush, and the one facing west is called Sad you. The north-facing face is called Vam Veda or Ardh Nari Ishvara, and the south-facing face is called Aghora. The face which is facing upwards is called Ishaan Mukha. There are four doors to reach the idol of Lord Shiva in this temple. Those four doors are silver. Right in front of the western gate is a huge statue of Nandi, the bull of Shiva, which is made of brass. There are many temples and statues of Vaishnava and Shev tradition in this complex. The Pashupatinath temple is believed to be half of the Kedarnath temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga of Shiva. This temple is a fine blend of Hindu and Buddhist architecture.
The main pagoda-style temple is located in a protected courtyard, which the Nepal Police guard. This temple is spread over an area of about 264 hectares, which includes 518 temples and monuments. The two-tier roof of the temple is constructed of copper, which has been plated with gold. The temple is built on a square platform whose height from base to peak is 23m 7cm. The shikhara of the temple is of gold which is called Gurjar. There are two sanctums inside the complex, one inside and the other outside. The inner sanctum is where the idol of Shiva is installed, while the outer sanctum is an open corridor. Temples and statues in the inner courtyard include Vasuki Nath Temple, Unmatta Bhairav Temple, Surya Narayan Temple, Kirti Mukha Bhairav Temple, Buda nil Kantha Temple Hanuman Murti, and 184 Shivalinga idols are present from the main room. At the same time, the outer complex has Ram Mandir, Virat Swaroop Temple. 12 Jyotirlinga and Pandra Pagoda Guho Ishvara Temple are visited. Arya Ghat is situated outside the Pashupatinath temple. Since mythological times, there is a provision to carry only the water of this ghat inside the temple.
* History of the Temple.
This linga is believed to have been established even before the Vedas were written. Pashupati has been the presiding deity of the ancient rulers of the Kathmandu Valley. There is no certified history of constructing this temple of the Pashu pat sect, but at some places, it is mentioned that the temple was built by the Pashu paksha of the Somdev dynasty in the 3rd century BC. In the devastating earthquake in April 2015, some exterior buildings of the World Heritage Site of Pashupatinath temple were destroyed, while the main temple of Pashupatinath and the sanctum Garbha graph of the temple were not damaged in any way. Temple Priests: Indian Brahmins were invited by the kings of Nepal since 1747 to serve the Lord in the Pashupatinath temple. Later, a king of the 'Malla dynasty' appointed a South Indian Brahmin as the temple's head priest. Thus, South Indian Bhatt Brahmins were appointed as the head priests of this temple. At present, during the period of Prachanda Sarkar, the monopoly of Indian Brahmins was abolished, and the effect of worship was handed over to the Nepalese people.
* When does the temple open.
This temple is open every day from 4 am to 9 pm. The doors of the temple are closed only in the afternoon and at five in the evening. Therefore, the best time to visit the temple is early morning and late evening. It takes 90 to 120 minutes to visit the entire temple com.
* Story of Baba Pashupatinath.
1. According to a legend, Lord Shiva took the form of chinkara here and sat in his sleep. When the gods discovered him and tried to bring him back to Varanasi, he jumped on the other side of the river. It is said that during this time, his horn was broken into four pieces. After this, Lord Pashupati appeared here in the form of Chatur much Linga.
2. The second story is about a shepherd. It is said that this Shivling was discovered by a shepherd whose cow was anointed with his own milk and traced the location of the Shivling.
3.The third story is from a mythological story related to the state of Uttarakhand, India. According to this legend, this temple is related to the Kedarnath temple. It is said that when Shiva appeared in the form of a buffalo to the Pandavas at the time of their heavenly journey, which later entered the earth, Bhima caught their tail before being fully absorbed. The place where Bhima did this work is currently known as Kedarnath Dham. And the place where his face came out of the earth is called Pashupatinath. In the Purana, this story is mentioned in detail by the name of Panch Kedar.
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