Pashupatinath temple is situated in the center of Kathmandu. It is the oldest temple Hindu temple in Kathmandu. This temple is dedicated to Pashupati (an incarnation of Lord Shiva). Pashupatinath temple complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage site in the year of 1979. This extensive Hindu temple is a sprawling collection o temples raised along the centuries in the bank of the holy and sacred Bagmati River.

Though the exact construction date of Pashupatinath is uncertain this present form of the temple was constructed in 1962 CE. According to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, Pashupati is the deity here gained great fame, as the Lord of Pashus (Living as well as non-living being). The current shape of the Pashupatinath temple is built in pagoda architectural design.

Legend

Legend says that Shiva and Parvati once took the incarnation of pronghorn and sported unknown in the forest on the Bagmati River’s east bank. The group of gods later caught up Shiva in the incarnation of pronghorn and grabbed him by one of his horns, forcing him to again continue his divine form. So, the broken horn was used to worship as the Shivalinga but after some centuries it was buried and lost. Centuries later one of the herdsmen found one of his cows is offering milk to the earth without extracting it from teats.  While digging at the exact site where the cow has offered milk, discovered the divine Linga of Pashupati.

Establishment of Pashupatinath

According to Gopalaraj Aalok Vhat bhencis, the Pashupatinath temple was built by the Licchivi dynasty king Prachanda Dev in 753 CE. It was about 39 generations before the reign of the first proved king of Nepal. The temple was reconstructed by a medieval king Shivadev. Malla dynasty king Ananta Malla added a roof to the temple.

Architecture

The main temple of Pashupatinath is built in typical Nepalese pagoda style. The two roofs of the temple is covered with gold. The temple consists of four main doors, each of the doors is covered with silver and the temple consists of a golden pinnacle (Gajur).  

Visiting Pashupatinath

Tourists can only view the temple from the back premises. Pashupatinath temple is just behind the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). It takes about 5 min drive reach to Pashupatinath from the international airport. Except for Saturday, Shivaratri, Public holidays, and other festivals the crowd would be less. The entry tickets for the visitors and pilgrims are as mentioned below