Pashupati Nath Temple
PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE
Pashupati Nath Temple is situated 5 km North-East of Kathmandu in Nepal. It is situated at the right hand side of the Bagmati River, amidst many other temples. But its importance makes it Special.
Lord Pashupatinath is one amongst the Dwadasha Jyotirlingas and He is considered to be the Protector of Nepal by the local people. It is also considered to be the best among the Dwadasha Jyotirligas. ‘Pashu’ means ‘living animals’ and ‘Pati’ means ‘Matr’. In other words, ‘Pashupatinath’ means ‘Master of all living organisms’. The same mention of him can be found in the Vedas and the Upanishads too.
Many stories are famous regarding the building of the Pashupatinath Temple. S per one story, the Shivalinga here was buried deep down the earth for many years. Green grass had gown above the land. A cow used to come and offer her milk over the Sacred, but invisible, Shivalinga. When its owner noticed that she had stopped giving milk since some days, he decided to know the reason. He followed the cow for some days and saw that she dropped all her milk at a fixed spot daily. So, he drilled down the earth and found the Shivalinga there. Then it started to be worshipped and a temple was built soon. With the passage of time, it became popular and the devotes came to consider it their Protector. The Temple has also been repaired by many rulers of Nepal an this can be noticed through the architecture of the Temple. According to ‘Goplaraj Vanshawali’, the oldest book of History of Nepal, this Temple was built five-storeyed by King Supus Pareva of Licchavi. Before this, it was a small Temple with only a Shivalinga.
History says that this Temple was plundered by Sultan Shamsuddin of Bengal in 14th Century AD. This damaged it to such an extent that it required repair , which was done ten years later by King Jay Simha Ram Vardhana. The present Temple is situated in the middle of an open Veramdah. It is a rectangular Temple, built over a 23m high platform. All the four doors are gold plated. The Shivalinga lies inside a narrow way and it can be seen from some distance. Various old statues make the Temple a piece of art.
A very attractive, 3 feet high, Shivalinga with four faces also lies inside the Temple. Each face has its own importance. The East face is known as ‘Tatpurush’, the West face ‘Sandhyojit’ an in the same way North and South faces are called ‘Vamdeva’ and ‘Aghora’ respectively. The upper part of the Linga is called ‘Ishan’. The four faces are also considered to signify the four Vedas.
Pashupatinath Temple is considered a very Sacred and important pilgrimage. Thousands from all over the world get Darshan daily. But remember, ou will get Darshan only when Pashupatinath calls you for it. I am also waiting for my chance.
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