Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: श्री पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर, romanized: Śrī Paśupatinātha Mandira) is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a manifestation of Shiva. Located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, the temple is one of the oldest and most significant religious complexes in South Asia. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, it is one of seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley and is described as an "extensive Hindu temple precinct" comprising a vast network of temples, ashrams, inscriptions, and images raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River. The temple, considered one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Hindus, is built on an area of 246 hectares (2,460,000 m) and includes 518 mini-temples and the principal pagoda-style temple.

Pashupatinath temple is venerated as one of the holiest abodes of Shiva in Skanda Purana and is honored as one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams (Tevara Sthalam) of the Tevaram, a canon of the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition which eulogise holy sanctuaries. There is also a separate minor Purana text known as Pashupati Purana, dedicated to the legends of the holy shrine of Pashupatinath. The linga of Pashupatinath, as per Shiva Purana, is believed to be the bestower of all wishes. Mythologically, the temple is seen as the head of Shiva with his body stretching to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in India, and is also spiritually connected to the temples of Kedarnath, Rudranath, Kalpeshwar, Madhyamaheshwar and Tungnath as per the legend of Mahabharata. The main temple priests are, as a long-standing tradition, VedicDravida Brahmins from Karnataka trained at the Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Southern India.