Pashupatinath Temple

Back on the road this time to visit Pashupatinath Temple. However, not being local we could not actually go inside the temple so we had to walk around the outside. The temple was not actually the reason for our visit it was something very different but a little history first.

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 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.

Now for why the visit . Despite being clogged with garbage and black with pollution, the Bagmati River is actually an extremely sacred river. Pashupatinath is the Nepalese 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 and we were there to see a cremation which was very interesting and weird at the same time. We then walked along the river behind the temple to view the preparation ceremony this was even more strange.Read more