Instead of catching another taxi over to our next destination at oldest Hindus temple in Nepal, the Pashupatinath Temple, I manage to convince Fabian to have a walk instead. Well, 2 KM of walk wasn't so comfortable after all, and there was nothing much to see along the way, but yet it serve as good preparation before our long trekking journey soon. Yet I still enjoy it, but Fabian keep complaining for not getting a taxi, haha!
The temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list in 1979, and was a famous and sacred Hindu temple complex located on the banks of the Bagmati River. We enter the complex through Shaktipeeth Shri Guhyeshwori Temple after paying 1000 rupee for the entrance ticket, and walk our way through Manakamana Mandir and Gorakhnath Temple, which the area was heavily damaged during massive earthquake hitting the country on April 2015.
One of the stupa next to Shaktipeeth Shri Guhyeshwori Temple.
Few steps up the staircase and turn around, I can see Boudhanath Stupa from quite some distance away!
The Gorakhnath Temple.
The massive earthquake cause a lot of impact to this historical site.
Looked like Poseidon's trident.
The compound with lots of historical structure close to Shiva Shrine.
We continue the walk and we finally getting to main Shree Pashupatinath Temple, but it seem not open to public the day when we were there. Along the river banks, there was a group of people surrounding a dead person wrapped in orange from head to toe, and it seem they were undergoing some ritual for the dead one. We sat on the opposite side of the river and witness the process along with lots of people, but everyone pay their respect by creating a silence environment for it. The body was then later being carried by families to pyre area, where wooden logs spread on a stone platform was in place. Family wailing in tears while the pyre now burning fiercely, and later on the ashes will join the Bagmati River, which eventually leads to Ganges River in India.
It was quite emotional and intense experience, but at the same time, truly an eye opener.
The open cremation ongoing on the river bank of Bagmati.
Paying respect to the dead and families, all the crowd sitting quietly to witness this unique traditional process.
The most famous temple in the complex, the Shree Pashupatinath Temple.
Endless loop of inner stupa view.
Wood pyre to the left was still burning, and the the ritual process continue on the right pyre side.
Final ritual process moment before the actual cremation.
Pashupatinath Temple - Nepal
November 2018
