Nepal’s most important Hindu temple stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati River, surrounded by a bustling market of religious stalls selling marigolds, prasad (offerings), incense, rudraksha beads, conch shells, pictures of Hindu deities and temples, tika powder in rainbow colours, glass lingams, models of Mt Meru and other essential pilgrim paraphernalia.
At first glance, Pashupatinath might not look that sacred – the temple is just a few hundred metres from the end of the runway at Tribhuvan Airport, overlooking a particularly polluted stretch of the Bagmati. However, in religious terms this is a powerhouse of Hindu spiritual energy, and is closely connected to Shiva in the form of Pashupati, the Lord of Animals.
Some surrounding minor shrines were damaged in the 2015 earthquake, but the main mandir (temple) was unscathed.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Pashupatinath.
Hindu Site
Despite being clogged with garbage and black with pollution, the fetid Bagmati River is actually an extremely sacred river; Pashupatinath is the Nepali equivalent of Varanasi on the sacred River Ganges. The cremation ghats along the Bagmati are the city's most important location for open-air cremations. Fires burned here day and night after the 2015 earthquake as hundreds of families dealt with the human cost of the disaster.
Hindu Temple
Undiminished by the earthquake, the pagoda-style Pashupatinath Temple was constructed in 1696, but has been a site of Hindu and Buddhist worship for far longer. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the compound of the famous main temple, but you can catch tantalising glimpses of what is going on inside from several points around the perimeter wall. The nearby riverside steps are Nepal's most holy cremation site.
Hindu Site
Pashupatinath's ghats are often full of life and it's worth taking some time to absorb it all. Devotees ritually bathe in the dubious-looking waters of the Bagmati, holy men perform rituals on the stone steps and children fish for coins from the murky river using a magnet on the end of a string. You may also see families preparing the funeral pyres across the river.
Hindu Site
Two footbridges cross the Bagmati in front of the Pashupatinath Temple, entering a garden of stone terraces covered in dozens of small Shiva shrines. These one-room temples are often used as lodgings by wandering sadhus and each contains a central Shiva lingam. Although the shrines are built in many styles, all share certain design features – note the mask of Bhairab, Shiva’s fearsome incarnation, on the south wall, the Nandi statues on the west side and the bull-head water spouts to the north.
Viewpoint
This hilltop spot offers bird's eye views over the otherwise off-limits Pashupatinath Temple. Look for the enormous golden trident on the northern side of the temple and the golden figure of the king kneeling in prayer under a protective hood of nagas (serpent deities) to the south. It's also a discreet place to watch the cremation rituals below.
Hindu Temple
Between the two groups of ghats on the west bank of the Bagmati is this small, 6th-century temple, decorated with Tantric figures, skeletons and erotic scenes. It is said that human sacrifices were once made at this temple as part of the Maha Shivaratri Festival.
Market
Pilgrims flock to this fascinating market to pick up prasad (religious offerings) and spiritual souvenirs.
Hindu Temple
The path drops out of the forest to the large, courtyard-style Guhyeshwari Temple, built by King Pratap Malla in 1653 and dedicated to Parvati (the wife of Shiva) in her terrible manifestation as Kali. Entry is banned to non-Hindus, but from the path you can see the four huge gilded snakes that support the central finial, as well as the Bodhnath Stupa in the distance.
Hindu Temple
Continuing left at the top of the hill will take you to the towering red-and-white shikhara (temple with tall corn cob–like spire) of the Gorakhnath Temple, which survived the quake with minor damage. It is dedicated to the 11th-century yogi who founded the Shaivite monastic tradition and invented Hatha yoga.