Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal: Darshan Timing, History & Daily Rituals

Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal: There are hundreds of temples and pilgrimage sites in Bholenath. Which are world-famous for their miracles and religiosity. Though there are many temples of Lord Shiva, one is Pashupati Temple. People consider this temple one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

People say that Lord Shiva is present in this temple even today. Pashupatinath Temple is located on the banks of the Bagmati River in Devpatan village, 3 km northwest of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.

Located at the bank of the Bagmati River and built in the 17th century, Pashupatinath Temple is one of the prime temples for Hindu Lord Shiva devotees in Nepal. It is, therefore, important to understand that the heritage of the Pashupatinath mandir started several centuries before that structure.

This place has many legends, and most of them are quite fascinating to learn, whether you are an adherent of Hindu customs or not. This Pashupatinath mandir is located in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, where there are 7 World Heritage Site records.

Located near busy markets, this temple offers views of the spectacular stretch of the Bagmati River. In the words of every religious tourist, it is a power zone and, therefore, one of the best tourist destinations in Nepal.

Darshan Timing of Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal

There are four entry gates in Pashupatinath temple. The temple is situated at the main entrance on the west side. The authorities usually close the other entrances to the public, but they open on certain festivals and occasions only.

• The inner temple area is open daily from the early morning, from 4 am to 9 pm at night.
• Lingam can be worshipped from 5 Am to 12 P.m. and again from 5 P.m. to 7 P.m. is the period to worship.
• Timing of Abhishekam: 9 AM to 11 AM.

Daily Rituals of Pashupati Nath Temple

There are the following daily rituals of Pashupatinath Temple given below:

4 AM: People can access the place through the west gate.

8:30 AM: The other priest, known as the Pujaris, enters while the Lord’s idols are washed, and the clothes and jewels of the Lord are also exchanged for the day.

9:30 AM: A breakfast is offered to the Lord, which is known as Baal Bhog.

10:00 AM: It must be comprehended that anyone who desires to do puja is unrestrained to do so. People also call it Farmayishi Puja, where they ask the Pujari to perform a puja for a particular purpose. The Puja will last till 1:45 PM.

1:50 PM: The priests serve lunch to the Lord at the primary Temple of Pashupatinath.

2:00 PM: Morning prayers end.

5:15 PM: The evening Aarti at the main Pashupatinath Temple begins

6:00 PM onwards: The banks of the Bagmati now host the popular Bagmati Ganga Aarti. But it is more crowded on Saturdays, Mondays and during other important occasions. Also, in the evening, Ganga Aarti, there is Shiv’s Tandava Bhajan as well.

9 PM: Doors close.

Importance of Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal

Pashupatinath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites list. The locals consider it the most sacred temple of Shiva in Nepal and one of the 8 holiest places of Hinduism.

Thousands of devotees visit this temple dedicated to the Pashupati form of Lord Shiva every year. This temple has the highest number of Indian priests. The temple has appointed four priests and one chief priest from among the Brahmins of South India for centuries.

Pashupatinath Temple is considered to be half of Kedarnath, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Due to this, its importance and power have increased. The five faces of the Shivlinga installed in this temple have different qualities.

The face towards the south is called Aghor Mukh. The face towards the west is called Sadyojat, and the faces towards the east and north are called Tatpurush and Ardhanarishwar. The upward-facing direction is called Ishan Mukh. It is the formless face. This is Lord Pashupatinath’s best face.

This Shivling is very precious and miraculous. People believe that this Shivling is made of Parsa stone. The Parsa stone is such that it turns iron into gold. The Pashupati temple has one face in each of the four directions and one face facing upwards. Each face has a Rudraksha rosary in its right hand and a Kamandalu in its left hand.

History of Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal

Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal is the centre of faith of crores of Hindus. This magnificent temple was built in the third century BC by a king named ‘Pashupreksh’ of the Somdev dynasty.

Some historical opinions relate to the construction of this temple, which, if we believe them, was built in the 13th century. Non-Hindus are prohibited from entering Pashupatinath, Lord Bholenath’s abode, but they can see it from outside.

There is a Panchmukhi Shivling in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. People say that no such idol exists anywhere else in the world. According to Hindu Puranas, the history of Pashupatinath temple is thousands of years old.

Mythological Stories Related to Pashupati Nath Temple

Lord Shiva arrived here, assumed the form of a chinkara, and went into a deep sleep. When Lord Shiva was not found in Varanasi, the gods found him at this place on the banks of Bagmati.

The gods tried to take him back to Varanasi, during which Lord Shiva, as a chinkara, jumped to the other side of the Bagmati river. During the jump, his horn broke into four pieces. Since then, people have said that Lord Pashupati appeared as Chaturmukh Linga.

According to the Mahabharata story, which is about four thousand years old, when the Pandavas were going towards the Himalayas to go to heaven, Lord Shiva appeared to them in the form of a buffalo at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. After appearing, Shiva, in the form of a buffalo, started to sink into the ground.

Seeing this, Bhima caught hold of his tail. This place became famous as Kedarnath, while the place in Nepal where his head appeared outside the earth became famous as Pashupatinath.

8 Names of Lord Pashupatipati Nath Mentioned in the Vedas

• ॐ महादेवाय चन्द्रमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ ईशानाय सूर्यमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ उग्राय वायुमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ रुद्राय ऽग्निमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ भवाय जलमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ शव्र्वाय क्षितिमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ पशुपतये यजमानमूत्र्तये नम: ।।
• ॐ भीमाय ऽऽकाशमूत्र्तये नम: ।।

From this, it becomes clear that Panch Vakar Trinetra is the source of origin of five elements from Lord Ashutosh Shiva. The Yajman worships only the Shri Pashupati idol, while the rest are symbolic.

Ways To Reach Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal

Anyone can reach Nepal to visit the Lord Pashupati Nath Temple in three ways: by air, train, and road.

By Air/Flight

The best way to reach Pashupatinath Temple from India is by flying to Kathmandu. Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu is just 5 km away from the city. All flights from Delhi to Kathmandu are direct.

The flight distance from Delhi to Kathmandu is approximately 800 km, which can be covered in less than 2 hours. However, flights from Kathmandu are sometimes delayed due to weather.

By Train

There is no direct train between India and Nepal. So you can travel by train from Delhi to Gorakhpur. Then from there, you can travel by bus to Sanauli. After that, you must take another bus from the Nepal border to Kathmandu.

By Road

There are four border crossings for tourists travelling by road from India. You can travel from Delhi to Kathmandu by Bus or Car. The total distance to Kathmandu is around 1310 km, and it takes less than an hour to reach here.

Amazing Facts about Pashupatinath Temple

• The house construction of the temple has gold on the roof and tower area. Silver sheets line the doors, and gold adorns the large bull statue in the temple.
• This lingam temple is unique from other Shiv Temples in Nepal today. The god’s sculpture has five faces, with the apex part known as Ishan, while the Lingam has four faces.
• This is one of the few temples on the globe where visitors have little or no chance to enter the main temple, and the inner tympanum courtyard is willingly open to Hindus only.
• It is indeed one of the most recommended places in Nepal for tourists for sightseeing activities.
• 95% of the paintings in the temple are done in gold.

• According to the Hindu religion, if a soul sins too much, it will rebirth as some other lower life form in the next birth. Instead, it will assume the form of an animal. Touching, holding, or making eye contact with the lingam in the temple eliminates all of your sins, and you will be born as a human in your next birth.
• People now commonly use the banks of the Bagmati River to burn the corpses of the dead. It can burn corpses during your visit.
• The year 2015 is unforgettable to every Nepali, as a 7.8 Richter scale earthquake devastated the country. Other than some joints, the old Pashupatinath temple was almost damage-free.
• There is a belief in the Pashupati temple that if a person comes here for darshan, then he does not get the birth of an animal in any birth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, There are two famous Pashupatinath temples in the world, one in Kathmandu, Nepal, and the other in Mandsaur, India. The idols in both temples have similar shapes. The temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, stands on the banks of the Bagmati River and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This magnificent temple attracts tourists from across the country and abroad. This Shivlinga was assumed to be established even before the Vedas were penned.

Pashupatinath temple, located in Nepal, is the centre of faith for crores of Hindus. Pashupati was the presiding deity of the ancient rulers of Kathmandu Valley. This temple is open every day from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The temple closes its doors only during the afternoon and at 5 pm. The most suitable time to visit the temple is early morning and late evening. It takes 90 to 120 minutes to see the complete temple complex.

I hope you find this article, ‘Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal, ’ helpful. In it, we have covered all the basic information, such as darshan timings, daily rituals in the temple, the history of Pashupati Nath Temple, its importance and significance, and amazing facts about the Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal.