1000 Face @ Pashupatinath Temple , Kathmandu - NEPAL

"...I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. Wherever you are - if you are following your bliss - , you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time ..." (Pashupatinath - Kathmandu)

Pashupatinath is the important place for pilgrim to visit while they are around Kathmandu. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith .The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. Located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu.

There are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. My fav is the legend about Shiva and Parvati. In the past Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati came to the Kathmandu Valley and rested by the Bagmati while on a journey.

Shiva was so impressed by its beauty and the surrounding forest that he and Parvati changed themselves into deers and walked into the forest. Many spots in the Kathmandu Valley are identified as places where Shiva went during his time as a deer. After a while the people and gods began to search for Shiva.

Finally, after various complications, they found him in the forest, but he refused to leave. More complications ensued, but ultimately Shiva announced that, since he had lived by the Bagmati in a deer's form, he would now be known as Pashupatinath, Lord of all animals. It is said that whoever came here and beheld the lingam that appeared there would not be reborn as an animal.

The area of Pashupatinath imcompasses 264 hectre of land including 518 temples and monuments. Temple security(Armed Police Force Nepal) is selective regarding who is allowed entry into the inner courtyard . Practicing Hindus and buddhist of Indian and Tibetan descent are only allowed into temple courtiyard . Practicing Hindus of western descent are not allowed into the temple complex along with other non Hindu Visitors.

And me..?

I'm not lucky enough,the security just come and try to talk nepali language with me, when i can't answer anything, than they ask me to pay the ticket and stop me to enter the main temple :(. Maybe because i dress like a tourist and bring my camera.
So i just walk around the wall, and try to capture all the religious activity there from the distance with my lens.

I can feel, strong faith around here. All chant the mantra, burn the fire and send the prayer to the Lord. Even it's crowd around the main temple, but you can try walk down to the cremation river "bagmati", and see how peaceful it is.

If you like the old culture, the spiritual activity object and just to see how the local "nepali" pray, i recomend this place to be "must visit" list. But if you are not , better if you not come here.

I stay here for an hours. 1000 different face caught my eye . The people, the animal, and the prayer that fluttered around Pashupatinath .

Here we go, Pashupatinath Temple from My Lens :)

Address: Pashupati Nath Road, Kathmandu.
Opening Hours: 4:00 am – 12:00 pm, 5:00 – 9:00 pm
Entry Ticket : 1000 Nepali Rupee
Function: Hindu temple