5 Must Visit Religious Places When in Kathmandu

As Nepal is a land of many Religious places it is a peaceful and beautiful country of spiritual delights. The historical places, temples, stupas all are in link with the spiritual traditions of Hindus and Buddhist. Being that there are thousands of religious temples and stupas inside the capital of the country “Kathmandu”. However, here are five must visit religious places when in Kathmandu.

Pashupatinath Temple:

Pashupatinath Temple ( Source: Travelogy )

A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Pashupatinath temple is one of the oldest temples located in Gaushala, Kathmandu. People here believe that the temple is more than two thousand years old. It is located just east of Kathmandu on the banks of the Bagmati River. The Pashupatinath temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and is best known for its magnificent architecture. Pashupati is the incarnation of Lord Shiva, who was one among the eight Rudras and who holds the place of fire. It is the most believed and significant temple for Hindu peoples. Mostly people come here to worship lord Shiva from different part of the world. It is also famous for monkey but it had been matured with local people living there. It is mostly populated on Shiva ratri which is one of the biggest culture for Nepalese people.

Swayambunath Stupa

Swayambhunath Stupa:

Swayambhunath is both Hindu and Buddhist temple in Nepal. It is a sumptuous funnel shaped slope tower located at the north-west of Kathmandu. It’s the oldest and meaningful destination of all the heavenly sacred place in Kathmandu valley. It is also known as the “monkey temple” because of the holy monkeys that live in the northwestern parts of the temple. This Stupa sits at top of a small hill. It is a great place to get some of the most stunning panoramic views of the Kathmandu Valley below, the hill lies just 3 kilometers from the outer part of Kathmandu City and the temple is said to be one of the holiest Buddhist Chaityas in Nepal. It is the oldest stupa of its kind in Nepal.

Changu Narayan Temple:

Changu Narayan temple is another famous ancient Hindu temple in Nepal. It was made in golden medieval period of Nepal history which was in 325 A.D and is the oldest temple of Nepal. This temple is made in the Malla dynasty period. Changu Narayan temple is also listed in UNESCO world heritage site. It is situated about 8 miles east from K

Changunarayan Temple

athmandu district in Bhaktapur. The Changu Narayan temple is a double-roofed temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his in carnation as Narayan. The temple is decorated with ten incarnations of the Narayan. Stone lions guard all the four doors of the temple.

Garuda, half-man and half-bird is the vehicle of the Vishnu. A life size stone statue of Garuda kneels in front of the west face of the temple. There is an inscription stone behind the statue. The inscription provides important information on the Licahhavi dynasty and on the history of Kathmandu valley. In front of the temple’s main entrance, in a ornate cage, there are smaller statues of King Bhupatindra Malla and his queen.

Budhanilkantha Temple ( Source: Sacred sites )

Budhanilkantha Temple:

Located at the foot of the Shivapuri Hill at the northern end of the Kathmandu valley, Budhanilkantha Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is recognized by its huge statue of a reclining Lord Vishnu. The name Budhanilkantha, means “old blue throat”, and actually refers to Lord Vishnu.  Its main statue of the reclining Vishnu is around 5 meters long and was carved from a single block of black stone. Surrounding the statue is an attached pool which is more than 13 meters long. This temple is a sacred place for Buddhists as well as Hindus.

In addition to these, the most unique thing about the statue at Budhanilkantha Temple is that it appears to be a stone statue that floats on the water of the pool. Due to the religious significance of the statue and its sacred nature, scientific examination has been limited. It is believed that the rock is a form of silica, similar to pumice rock from lava, with an extremely low density. However, this does not explain how the statue manages to float on the water, and the phenomenon has fascinated the scientific community in Southeast Asia for decades.

Boudhanath Stupa:

Bouddhanath Stupa

Boudhanath Stupa is the largest stupa of Nepal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It ranks among the most important and holiest Tibetan Buddhist sites outside of Tibet. The stupa was built in the 14^th century which is said to house a bone from the Buddha’s body. Worshippers come here to visit and walk around the stupa while spinning the prayer wheels and praying. Furthermore, there are total of 108 small prayer wheels with images of the Buddha that surround the stupa. The first stupa at Boudhanath was, when the Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo, converted to Buddhism. Despite having existed for years, the site did not truly become the center of Tibetan Buddhism until the 1950s as refugees from China immigrated over to Kathmandu.

The base of the stupa is in decoration with pairs of eyes on each of the directions representing the all-knowing nature of the Buddha.  However, for those not fully into Buddhist belief, the building does seem to be an attraction on visitors as they come to make offerings or just to see one of the more spectacular Buddhist sites in the world.