For Hindus from Nepal and India, Pashupatinath is one of the great pilgrimages of the subcontinent, often paired with Kedarnath and Kashi Vishwanath. Shiva is worshipped here as Pashupati, lord of all living beings, in a black stone lingam with four faces, housed in a two-roofed pagoda with gilded roofs and silver-plated doors. A great golden Nandi faces the shrine. The temple's chief priests have for centuries come from Karnataka in south India, a tradition linked to Adi Shankaracharya, and they alone touch the main lingam during the daily rituals.
The complex is far larger than the main temple. Shrines, lingams, sadhu shelters, rest houses and smaller temples spread along both banks of the Bagmati, and the wooded hill of Mrigasthali rises on the east side, where monkeys and spotted deer live in the forest. Downstream of the temple, open-air cremations take place on stone platforms at Arya Ghat and Bhasmeshwar Ghat throughout the day. The site is one of the seven monument zones of the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1979, and it came through the 2015 earthquake with the main shrine intact.
Entry rules matter here. Only Hindus may enter the main temple courtyard; the rule is enforced at the gates, and visitors of other faiths, including Buddhists of non-Nepali origin, watch from the terraces across the river, which actually give the best view of the roofs and the ghats. Indian and Nepali Hindus enter free for darshan, while foreign visitors pay around NPR 1,000 for the wider complex; check current status before you travel. We plan most visits for late afternoon, so the walk around the ghats ends with the evening aarti.
What to see and do
- Darshan of the Pashupati lingam
Hindu pilgrims queue through the west gate into the main courtyard for darshan of the four-faced lingam, each face looking to a cardinal direction. Mornings from about 4 am and Mondays bring the longest lines; mid-morning on a weekday is usually calmer. Phones, cameras and leather goods stay outside the courtyard.
- Evening aarti on the Bagmati
Every evening, around 6 pm in summer and earlier in winter, priests perform the Bagmati aarti with lamps, conch shells, bells and bhajans on the river steps. Devotees and visitors fill the stone terraces on the east bank. It lasts about an hour and is free to watch; check current timings before you travel.
- The cremation ghats
Families bring their dead to the stone platforms at Arya Ghat and Bhasmeshwar Ghat, wash the body in the river and light the pyre, often with the eldest son leading the rites. Watching from the east bank is accepted. Stay quiet, keep a respectful distance, and do not photograph grieving families or the bodies.
- Mrigasthali forest and its temples
Stone steps climb from the east bank into the forest of Mrigasthali, where legend says Shiva wandered as a deer. Monkeys are everywhere, spotted deer graze in an enclosure, and rows of small shrines and lingams line the paths up to the Gorakhnath temple area under the trees. It is a shady escape from the ghats.
- Guhyeshwari, the Shakti Peeth
About 1 km upstream along the Bagmati stands Guhyeshwari, one of the Shakti Peethas, where the goddess is worshipped in the form of a sacred pool. Pilgrims usually visit it with Pashupatinath on the same day. As at the main temple, only Hindus may enter the inner courtyard.
- Sadhus and festival days
Ash-covered sadhus sit on the east bank all year and arrive in thousands for Maha Shivaratri in February or March. Teej in August or September fills the temple with women in red saris, and on Bala Chaturdashi in November or December families scatter seeds along the forest path for their departed.
Experiences in Pashupatinath
How to reach Pashupatinath
Road
Pashupatinath is about 5 km east of Thamel and Durbar Marg, a 20 to 40 minute drive depending on traffic at Chabahil and Gaushala. Most of our guests come by private car with a guide; a metered or negotiated taxi from Thamel costs about NPR 500 to 700. Cars drop you at the Gaushala side for the main gate or at the Mrigasthali side for the east bank.
Air
Tribhuvan International Airport is only about 2 km away, and you can see planes landing over the temple. That makes Pashupatinath an easy first or last stop: pilgrims flying in from Delhi, Varanasi or Mumbai often go straight to darshan, and afternoon departures leave time for a morning visit. Allow 15 minutes by car from the terminal.
On foot
From Boudhanath the walk is about 2 km and 30 to 40 minutes through local lanes, crossing the ring road and entering via the Mrigasthali forest on the east bank. Many of our walking tours link the two sites this way, often finishing at the evening aarti. From Guhyeshwari it is 15 minutes along the river.
Where to stay
There is no hotel strip inside the temple area itself, only simple pilgrim rest houses and guesthouses around Gaushala and Battisputali that suit those who want to reach the 4 am darshan on foot. Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali is about 1.5 km away and is the most comfortable base close to the temple. Gokarna Forest Resort, a Premium resort set in forest north-east of the city, is about 20 minutes by car and works well for families who want calm after a temple day. Most guests, though, stay in Thamel or Lazimpat, around 5 km west, where 3-star hotels and Hotel Shanker put them near restaurants and shopping.
Tips from our trip managers
- Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, and leave belts, wallets and bags made of leather in the car before entering the main temple.
- Hire a guide or temple priest only through the official counters, and agree any puja fee before the ritual starts.
- Never stand on the cremation platforms or step between a pyre and the river, and keep your camera down near grieving families.
- Hold on to sunglasses, flowers and snacks on the Mrigasthali steps, because the monkeys are quick and bold.
- Sadhus who pose for photographs expect a small tip, usually NPR 100 to 200, so ask first and pay what you agreed.
