On the far riverbank several fires burned sending dirty smoke lazily up to mingle with the haze of Kathmandu. The river flowed languidly past, a dark, murky olive, certainly not the kind of river you’d choose to swim in. A faint smell of spices and something else, sour milk perhaps, reached us as we sat on the large concrete steps, captivated by the scene before us. 

On the far side of the river another group of people came into view, the man at the head of the small procession was followed by four other men. Each balanced a length of bamboo on their shoulder and between them, shared the load of a canvas stretcher on which lay their recently departed loved one. Behind them came the remaining mourners, men first and then the women, I didn’t see any children.

The men had just undertaken the final ritual bathing of their relative in the sacred waters of the Bagmati River. They were now transporting them to a funeral pyre and once the rituals were complete, the eldest son would circle the pyre before lighting the timber and straw on which their loved one had been gently laid. 

It was the earlier cremations that we’d been watching, there were around ten ghats holding the funeral pyres, four of them now actively burning. Once the new fire was lit, the mourners moved slowly away, leaving the tending of the fire to a caretaker. 

Some of the earlier pyres had already burnt down and with an unceremonious shove, the caretaker pushed the remaining pieces of burnt wood and human ash into the river where it gave off a hiss of steam upon hitting the water.

Pashupatinath Temple Complex

Pashupatinath Temple Complex spans approximately two hundred and sixty four hectares making it one of the largest temple complexes in Nepal. It’s also the oldest and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. 

The complex contains more than five hundred Hindu temples and shrines, each dedicated to various deities and gods. There’s a lot to take in, most of which we could access, and some which we couldn’t. 

Pashupatinath Mythology 

The main temple, the Pashupatinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Pashupati, an incarnation of the Hindu God, Lord Shiva, who is considered the protector and patron deity of Nepal. 

According to mythology, Lord Shiva stopped to rest in the area and took the form of a deer. Finding the area so agreeable, he didn’t want to leave and became known as Pashupati, Lord of all living things and protector of animals. 

The grounds now incorporate a large deer park and wandering around the paved section of the complex we passed several cows and a number of monkeys who obviously knew when they were onto a good thing.

Hindu Reincarnation

Whoever comes to worship Pashupati will not be reborn as an animal. Those that die here, are reborn as human, regardless of any previous misconduct that might have worsened their karma, a kind of clean slate approach. 

Hundreds of elderly followers of Hinduism from every corner of Nepal and India seek shelter at Pashupatinath for the last weeks of their lives so that they may meet death and be cremated on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River. 

The Bagmati River then purifies the cremated ones ashes as they’re carried with it to meet the holy Ganges River. 

Soap Making

As I touched on above, the river isn’t clean, aside from the bits of burnt cremation wood and let’s assume it is only wood, there’s also the ubiquitous plastic bottles, shopping bags and other litter floating by. I was fascinated to learn of the local women, further downstream effectively washing their clothes. 

If you’ve ever made soap, which I did during a long ago homesteading phase, you’ll be aware that mixing wood ash with water produces lye, which in turn when mixed with animal fat produces soap. 

The Bagmati River carries sufficient fat from the funeral pyres for this process and it’s believed that this was how soap originally came about. A chance occurrence of someone washing their clothes in someone else’s ashes and that’s enough of a segue for me.

Pashupatinath Temple

Centrepiece of this remarkable Complex, the Pashupatinath Temple is one of the oldest and most sacred of Hindu Temples in Kathmandu. No one knows for certain when it was built though its existence has been recorded as early as 400 CE and if that’s not old enough, there’s been a religious foundation here since at least the fifth century BCE.

The Pashupatinath Temple is built in the Pagoda style, of cubic construction with four main doors, each covered with silver sheets. The two level, pagoda roofs are made of copper and covered in bright shiny gold. Atop of this, is a golden spire. The temple is adorned with intricate wood carvings depicting various Hindu mythology and sacred symbols.

It’s believed that where the temple has been constructed is the exact place that Shiva once lived. Understandably, temple security along with the Pashupatinath Area Development Trust are very selective as to who is permitted into the temple courtyard. 

One needs to be a practising Hindu of South Asian diaspora or Buddhists of Nepali and Tibetan diaspora. As a white, freckly Kiwi, I clearly didn’t qualify so had to satisfy myself viewing the temple from the exterior. Our Himalayan Recreation Guide, Krishna Acharya described the interior for us. 

There’s two inner sanctums or garbhagrihas. The first inner garbhagriha is a private sanctum and where the sacred Shiva Lingam is kept, only the highest of priests are allowed entry to this area. The other outer sanctum, is more like a corridor with an open space and where the qualifying worshippers are permitted. 

Without a local guide such as Krishna providing us with explanations of the rituals and traditions of Pashupatinath we’d have missed out on so much of the detail.

Hindu Cremations

Many religious and cultural events are held throughout the year however the multiple cremations are a daily occurrence or at least, shall we say, they occur on demand. Although it may appear unusual to non-Hindus, the Hindu approach to life, death and reincarnation appears to offer great comfort to the followers of Hinduism. 

The spirit or atmosphere of death can be felt in almost every ritual and corner of the temple complex, that’s life, that’s death. If you’ve not seen a Hindu cremation before, go with an open mind and with respect, it’s a privilege to experience even from a distance, this most sacred of rituals.

Sadhus, Holy Men

While at the Pashupatinath Temple you’ll likely encounter the mystic Sadhus or Holy Men. They are easy to identify being unique in appearance, with specific yellow paintings on their bodies. 

The Sadhus have chosen a life of asceticism and are using meditation to liberate themselves from the cycle of death and rebirth. If they see you with a camera, you’ll likely be offered the opportunity to photograph them however, while being eager to pose for the photo, the Sadhus are equally eager to hold out their hand for money immediately after. This isn’t unreasonable, even a Holy Man has to eat.

Kathmandu Valley Tour

Pashupatinath Temple Complex is located on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu and close to the Kathmandu Airport. It’s an approximately fifteen minute taxi ride from Thamel, the thriving tourist centre in the heart of Kathmandu. 

There are many festivals throughout the year such as the Maya Shivaratri Festival held between February and March and the Teej Festival in September. Teej is one of the most celebrated festivals at the Pashupatinath Temple. 

On our guided Kathmandu Valley Tour we’ll introduce you to the mysterious charm of this ancient city, exploring hidden treasures, retracing ancient history, seeking out four UNESCO sites while immersing ourselves in Nepal’s rich spiritual traditions.

The one day Tour includes a visit to the Swayambhunath Monkey Temple along with Durbar Square, a major hub of the city, the Pashupatinath Temple which is an important Hindu pilgrimage site and the Boudhanath Stupa, another site of great historical and religious importance. 

This day makes for an excellent introduction to Kathmandu and the Nepalese culture and religions. We’ve included it with many of our trekking tours however you can also take part in the city tour without joining the longer trekking tours. 

Freewheeling Kiwi has partnered with Himalayan Recreation and Treks to help you create lifetime memories in the Himalayas. 

Find out how you can join a Group Trip hosted by Sharon, Founder of Freewheeling Kiwi HERE. 

If the date of our next trip doesn’t work for you, we can sort out an alternative date that aligns with your preferences. CONTACT Sharon directly to book your preferred dates. 

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