The Pashupatinath Temple

The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous, sacred Hindu temple listed in the UNESCO World Heritage, this temple is dedicated to Pashupatinath (Lord Shiva) is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath was founded. Tradition says it was constructed by Pashupreksha of the Somadeva Dynasty in the 3rd century BC, but the first historical records date from the 13th century. The ascetic Pashupata sect was likely related to its foundation.

Pashupatinath is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith .The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river." The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva) on the continent. It attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and has become well known far beyond the Kathmandu Valley. The temple is barred to non-Hindus, but a good view of the temple can be had from the opposite bank of the river. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on this day over 700,000 devotees visit here.