The Halesi-Maratika Caves (also the Haleshi Mahadev temple) are located next to the village of
Mahadevasthan
Mahadevasthan is a village and Village Development Committee in Khotang District in the Sagarmatha Zone of eastern Nepal. At the 1991 Nepal census, it had a population of 2,343 persons living in 453 individual households.
Mahadevasthan is the ...
, in the
Khotang District of eastern
Nepal, 3,100 ft. – 4,734 ft. above sea level. The cave and temple are about 185 km south west of
Mount Everest. The temple is a venerated
pilgrimage site for Hindus,
Buddhists
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and
Kirat. The caves are called the Halesi Mahadev Temple by
Hindus who associate them with Mahadeva, a form of
Shiva; while they are known as the
sacred place to Buddhists, who consider them to be the caves associated with the legend of
Padmasambhava. The
Kirati Rai of the region worship Halesi as an ancestral deity of the community. The Kirat mundhum, a rich oral tradition of the Kirats, manifests that their ancestor Raechhakule (Khokchilipa) also known as Hetchhakuppa used to stay inside the Halesi cave in the remote past. For that reason, the Kirat/Rais consider Halesi as their ancestral place.
Geology and environment
This cave is 67 feet below the surface. It is a tourist destination. Its entrance is shaped as a half moon and faces towards the east. It has a round shape, with a diameter of 193 feet, with another, separate, cave lying beneath. The floor is 223 feet in circumference.
The location of this cave lies between the holy rivers
Dudh Koshi and
Sun Kosi. This place is usually cold and rainy. Nowadays it is accessible by motorcycles and jeeps.
History
The caves of Halesi-Maratika are referred to in
Himalayan literature as far back as the 12th century. ''Kathang Zanglingma'', a biography of Padmasambhava, a ''
terma'' revealed and transmitted by Nyangrel Nyima Ozer, describes the original events which made the Maratika caves a sacred place for
Vajrayana practitioners. In ancient times, the ancestors of the
Kirati Rai, Khokchilippa/ Raechakule are mentioned in the legend of living in the Halesi cave.
Religious significance
The most famous natural cave in
Khotang District is said to have been the abode of
Mahadeva Mahadeva may refer to:
Religion
*Mahadeva, a title of the Hindu god Shiva
** Parashiva, a form of Shiva
** Parameshwara (god), a form of Shiva
*Para Brahman, a Hindu deity
*Adi-Buddha, in Buddhism, the "First Buddha" or the "Primordial Buddha"
*M ...
while hiding away from the monster
Bhasmasur
In Hinduism, Bhasmasura ( sa, भस्मासुर, ) is an asura or demon, who was granted the power to burn up and immediately turn into ashes ('' bhasma'') anyone whose head he touched with his hand. The asura was tricked by the Vishnu's ...
. It is an important pilgrimage centre located in east Nepal for both
Hindus and
Buddhist. The cave is nicknamed 'the
Pashupatinath of the east'. Well attended religious fairs are observed here on
Shivaratri and
Bala Chaturdashi
Bala may refer to:
Places
India
*Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India
* Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan
* Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India
Romania
* Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...
.
In Buddhism
Mandarava and Padmasambhava realised a number of terma that had been elementally encoded in the cave by dakini
Sangwa Yeshe. These terma number among the longevity teachings of
Buddha Amitabha, and were given at the behest of
Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara. It is here, at the cave, that Mandarava and Padmasambhava attained the
Vidyadhara of longevity (or long life).
In Hinduism
Hindus from India come to visit here after climbing many hills. Many people come here from places like Ladania and Jayanagar during the month of Shrawan to pray to
Haleshi Mahadev. It is believed that Lord Shiva hid from the demon Bhasmasur for 6,000 years in this cave.
During the holidays of
Bhasmasur
In Hinduism, Bhasmasura ( sa, भस्मासुर, ) is an asura or demon, who was granted the power to burn up and immediately turn into ashes ('' bhasma'') anyone whose head he touched with his hand. The asura was tricked by the Vishnu's ...
,
Rama Navami and
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayak Chaturthi (), or Ganeshotsav () is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes and p ...
, fairs and festivities are held in the area.
References
External links
*
{{Buddhist temples in Nepal
Tibetan Buddhist places
Padmasambhāva
Buddhist caves
Shiva temples in Nepal
Hindu cave temples in Nepal
Buildings and structures in Khotang District