Description: The Temple of Pashupatinath on the banks of the Bagmati River is the oldest and holiest of all temples in Nepal. It is worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists alike and sets an example of religious harmony. Pashupatina is Lord Shiva, the God of Gods and ancient scriptures have described him as Lord of the entire living beings and the source of eternal bliss and peace. It is assumed that the temple of stone was rebuilt a number of times. There is no dated record to tell when the temple was built. But, there is a writing that it was built by King Shiva Deva III about 1120 AD.
PADT or the Pashupati Area Development Trust was formed to watch over the site and have provided ongoing maintenance & repairs. The temple is located on the banks of the Bagmati River and it is believed that Lord Pashupatinath holds the five things which are closest to him...water, cows milk, wood apple leaves, thorn apple fruits and flowers and the fifth is Rudrasksha, beads strung on a yellow thread.
Covering many acres, the areas of Pashupatinath include monasteries, ancient temples, stupas, and other archaelogical important monuments.
Both Hindu and Buddhist believe in reincarnation and do not bury their dead. They bring them to the banks of the river on slats made of wood. Their bodies are covered until all the family comes for the cremation. The body is unwrapped and set on fire. They believe you enter the earth naked and return the same way. The family will wait until the body is fully cremated, which may take hours. When it is fully turned to ash, they place the ashes into the river. We were witness to five of those cremations. It is a sobering event to watch and somewhat disturbing but to understand they fully believe their departed one will return gives a sense of peace. There are no tears.
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