Pashupatinath Temple

Shri Pashupatinātha Temple (Nepali: श्री पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a manifestation of the god Śiva. 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. Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, it forms part of the "Kathmandu Valley" inscription and is described as an "extensive Hindu temple precinct" comprising a vast network of temples, āśramas, inscriptions, and images accumulated over centuries.

Covering an area of 246 hectares, the complex includes over 500 subsidiary shrines surrounding the principal pagoda-style temple. Pashupatinātha is venerated as one of the holiest abodes of Śiva, praised in scriptures like the Skanda Purāṇa and honoured as a Paadal Petra Sthalam in the Tamil Tevaram hymns. The temple's liṅga is believed, per the Śiva Purāṇa, to be a wish-fulfilling embodiment of Śiva’s power.

Mythologically, the temple is seen as the head of Śiva, with his body stretching to the Kāśī Viśvanātha Temple in India. It is also spiritually connected to the temples of Kedārnāth, Rudranāth, Tungnāth, Madhyamahēśwar, and Kalpēśwar, as per legends in the Mahābhārata.

The chief temple priests have historically been Vedic Drāviḍa Brahmins from Karnataka, traditionally trained at the Śṛṅgeri Śārada Pīṭham in southern India.