Nepal Abode of the Gods Nestled in the Himalayas, Nepal is the Kingdom where mortals mingle with deities. This tiny Hindu / Buddhist kingdom is a pilgrims spiritual paradise, indeed – Nepal has several ancient pilgrimage sites. Each temple is attached to a legend or belief that glorifies the miraculous powers of its deity. Kathmandu Valley is home to the famous Pashupatinath Temple, Swoyambhunath Stupa and several other famous temples. Hundreds of famous temples are located in and around the Kathmandu Valley.

Some well-known pilgrimages sites are:

Kathmandu Valley in Central Nepal
The Kathmandu Valley has an exotic setting. Green Mountain walls above which tower mighty snowcapped peaks surround it. It consists of three main cities Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon).

HANUMAN DHOKA (DURBAR SQUARE)
It is the historic seat of royalty. The Durbar Square, with its old palaces and temples, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. It is here the Kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations solemnized. Interesting things to see are:

DAKSHINKALI: Dakshinkali is one of the very important places of pilgrimage regarding Hindu goddess, which dates back to immemorial. Pilgrims visit this temple to offer their prayers and animal sacrifices to the goddess. Apart from the religious performance this place has also been developed as a popular picnic spot.

THE TEMPLE OF KUMARI (KUMARI GHAR): The temple or the residence of Living goddess, Kumari is situated in the vicinity of Hanuman Dhoka Palace. The building has profusely carved wooden balconies and window screens. The non Hindu visitors may enter the courtyard, but may not go beyond that. The Kumari acknowledges their greetings from her balcony window.

BUDHANILKANTHA: About eight kilometers north of Kathmandu at the base of Sivapuri hill is a remarkable colossal statue of Lord Vishnu reclining on the bed of snakes. This is one of the masterpieces of stone sculpture of Lichchhavi period. The fifth century statue is in the middle of small pond and seems to float in water. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus.

SWOYAMBHUNATH: This is one of the world's most glorious Buddhist Chaitya's, it is said to be 2000 years old. The Chaitya, which forms the main structure, is made of a solid hemisphere of brick and clay supporting a lofty conical spire capped by a pinnacle of copper gilt. It is three kilometers west of Kathmandu city and it is situated on a hillock about 77m above the level of the Valley. This hill is mosaic of small Chaitya and pagoda temples.

NATIONAL MUSEUM: Located at Chauni, two and a half kilometers west of Kathmandu, a twenty-five minute walk from Hanuman Dhoka, the National Museum has a splendid collection of weapons, artifacts from ancient, medieval and modern Nepal. Its archeological and historical displays are worth seeing.

PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE: Situated five kilometers east of Kathmandu on the bank of sacred Bagmati River, the temple of Lord Shiva-Pashupatinath with two-tiered golden roof and silver doors is famous for its superb architecture. It is a center of annual pilgrimage on the day of Maha-Sivaratri. Entrance to the temple precincts permitted to the Hindus only however, visitors can clearly see the temple and the activities performed in the temple premises from the eastern bank of the Bagmati River.

GUHESWARI TEMPLE: Near Pashupatinath is located another historic and holy temple of Guheswari. This is a shrine of Goddesses Sati (Parvati); Lord Shiva's consort. But the

PILGRIM SPOTS IN BHAKTAPUR (BHADGAON)
Bhaktapur situated at the altitude of 1401m, is a home of medieval art and architecture. The urban city covers an area of 4 square miles. Shaped like a conch-shell, Bhaktapur means the city of devotees. Pottery and weaving are its traditional industries. The city lies about 14 kilometers east of Kathmandu. The major pilgrimage places in Bhaktapur include:

DURBAR SQAURE: The main square of the city contains innumerable temples and other architectural showpieces like the Lion gate, which was built by King Bhupatindra Malla, is adorned with the lovely stone figures of Hanuman, Bhairav and Narayansingh Narayan. The picture Gallery contains ancient paintings belonging to Hindu and Buddhist schools of Tantrism. The Golden Gate is the main entrance to the courtyard of the 55 Window Palace. The Palace of 55 Windows was built in the seventeenth century. The balcony of the Palace is a masterpiece of woodcarving. The stone temple of Batsala Devi is a full intricate carving. There is a bronze bell on the terrace of the temple, which is also known as the "Bell of Barking Dogs". There is also a replica of Pashupatinath Temple inside the Square. Etc. AKASH BHAIRAV TEMPLE: It is a three-storey temple in the main market avenue, called Indra Chowk. The image of Akash Bhairav is displayed outside for a week during Indra Jatra, the festival of Indra –the god of rain.

NYATAPOLA TEMPLE: This five-storey pagoda was built in 1702 A.D. It stands on a five terraced platform on each of the terraces squat a pair of figures; two famous wrestlers, two elephants, two lions, two griffins and Baghini and Singhini the tiger and the lion goddesses. Each pair of figures is considered ten times stronger than the ones immediately below. This is one of the tallest pagodas and is famous for its massive structure and the subtle workshop. This temple was built for goddess Laxmi.

BHAIRAVNATH TEMPLE: This temple was built as a one-storey pagoda during the reign of King Jagat Jyoti Malla and later changed into the three-storey temple in 1718 A.D by King Bhupatindra Malla. It is dedicated to Lord Bhairav – the god of Terror.

DATTATREYA TEMPLE: This temple is said to have been built from the trunk of a single tree. It was built in 1427 A.D. During the reign of King Yakchhya Malla.

PUJARI MATH: Near the Dattatraya temple is a monastery with exquisitely carved peacock windows. This monastery was built by King Yakchhya Malla and later renovated by the then priest Ram Dutt Giri.

SURYA VINAYAK: It is a shrine of Ganesh; the elephant headed God, situated in a beautiful surrounding of Bhadgaon, placed in a sylvan setting to catch the first rays of the rising sun. The view of the city of Bhaktapur is seen from here with snow peaks in the background. Nestling in the thick forest, it is a good picnic spot flanked by many attractive landscapes.

PILGRIM SPOTS IN LALITPUR (PATAN)This ancient city of Patan is situated on the southern bank of the river Bagmati and it is five kilometers southeast of Kathmandu. The city is full of Hindu temples and Buddhist monuments with bronze gateways, guardian deities, and wonderful carvings. Noted for its craftsmen and metal workers. It is known as the city of artists. The major pilgrimage attractions of Patan are:

DURBAR SQUARE: Patan Durbar Square, situated in the heart of the city constitutes the focus of visitor’s attraction. The square is full of ancient palaces, temples, and shrines noted for their exquisite carvings. One can rummage for treasures in the various shops around the square. The main attraction of Patan Durbar Square is the ancient Royal Palace itself. It consists of three main chowks or courtyards, the central Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk and Main Keshab Narayan Chowk.

KRISHNA MANDIR: Built in seventeenth century, the temple of Lord Krishna holds a commanding position in the palace complex of Patan. It is the only temple in Nepal having 21 shrines and is completely made of stone. Most of the important scenes from the ancient Hindu epics- the Ramayana and Mahabharata have been engraved on its friezes.

MAHABOUDHA: A little further from Patan Durbar Square lies the Buddhist temple made of clay bricks in which thousands of images of Lord Buddha are engraved. The terracotta structure is one of the fourteenth century Nepalese architectural masterpieces.

HIRANYA VARNA MAHAVIR: This three storey golden pagoda of Lokeshwor (Lord Buddha) was built in the twelfth century. There are a wealth of gem like carvings on its walls and a complete life of Buddha in gold relief.

KUMBHESHWOR: Kumbheshwor temple in Patan and Nyatapola temple in Bhaktapur are the only temple in the Valley with five roofs with the exception of the round five tiered Pancha Mukhi Hanuman of Kathmandu's Hanuman Dhoka Palace. A fair is held here on the Janai Purnima day in August.

RUDRA VARNA MAHAVIHAR: This unique Buddhist monastery contains fine and amazing collection of images and statues in metal, stone, and wood. Kings in the ancient times were crowned in this monastery. Many of the treasures offered by the devotees can be seen here even today.

TEMPLES OF MACHCHHENDRA NATH AND MIN NATH: The pagoda of Red Machchhendra nath, built in 1408 A.D is situated in Tabahal. Red Machchhencra nath also known as Avalokitishwor and Adinath Lokeshwor is housed here for six months. For the rest six months the idol is taken to its shrine in Bungamati. The temple of Min Nath is situated in Tengal, on way to Tabahal. The temple to Min Nath is supposed to be older than the temple of Red Machchhendra Nath.

PHULCHOKI: Located around ten kilometers southeast of Patan, this mountain, 2759m high, is a good spot for hiking. Rhododendrons of different varieties and colors from pure white to dark red are found here. A Buddhist shrine is situated on top of the hill, which can be reached through the jeepable road.

Swargadwari Khaptad Ashram in West Nepal.
Nepal is also the Gateway to Kailash Manasarovar, the mythical abode of Lord Shiva. Devotees from various parts of Nepal and India throng the temples during special festivals. Even though weak infrastructure renders some places hard to reach, Expedia has being promoting and developing some of these popular sites. Pilgrimage sites of Nepal like Muktinath and Gosainkunda make popular destinations. Tours to these sites are encouraged for the novelty they provide in terms of nature and culture.

Muktinath (Salvation-Land)
Pilgrimage to Muktinath, in the Nepal Himalaya near Tibet, is a richly symbolic event in all its expressions—social and religious, in legend, myth and fable, in history and in its spatial or geographical dimensions. High mountain sacred sites, like Muktinath, are all the more efficacious because they are so much closer to God. The precise way in which Muktinath was designated as an especially holy space by Hindus, over two thousand years ago, is not known. The clues, however, are still present and obvious. The historian of religions Mircea Eliade postulates that the choice of holy space is not random but is found and identified by the help of mysterious signs. In Muktinath some of the signs are its high mountain location and its headwaters site, and the presence of certain natural elements such as fossils and fires; these have tempted Man, in the search for god on earth, to create a supernatural field, a sacred world where Vishnu and other deities are believed to abide. It is not natural features, however, but anomalies in nature that give Muktinath a special sanctity and attraction. At Muktinath, these include such wonders as fire burning on water and the fossils of primitive sea creatures (ammonites) found high in the mountains, many thousands of metres above sea level and thousands of kilometers from any contemporary ocean. These are some of the ‘mysterious signs’, rare and sacred that Hindu devotees seek in the religious field of which Muktinath is the central feature. It is clear that several of the natural features found at Muktinath and within its larger sacred field are imbued by its devotees with supernatural characteristics. It is safe to say that in the overall sacred environment, these natural-supernatural elements take on prime importance and are of considerable attraction to all pilgrims, Buddhist and Hindu alike. Alongside, the three natural elements at Muktinath -- the spring water, natural gas fires and fossils, there is also a sacred grove of poplar trees of the species Populus ciliate, locally called lekh pipal or bhot pipal…

Location
Muktinath is situated on the upper part of the river Kali of Buri Gandaki on the north side of the main Himalayan rang and south of Lo-Manthang or Mustang. Its precise location is 29° 11’ N. latitude and 83° 53’E. longitude, at an elevation of 3,8000m (or approximately 12,500 ft) on the western slopes of the Damodar Himal, northern extension of the Annapurna Himalayan massif.

Muktinath is in the high Himalayan arid zone bordering China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region (Xizang). This northern region of Nepal is often called Bhot (Tibet), and its inhabitants ‘Bhotia”. Muktinath shrine is near the headwaters of the Jhong River, a tributary of the Kali Gandaki in the north-eastern corner of Thak Khola, a dry trans-Himalayan valley in Nepal’s Mustang District.

Nepal Climate
The climate in Nepal is governed by the monsoon which originates in the Bay of Bengal. The monsoon creates a rainy season from mid-June to mid-September. Our tour season extends from mid-April to December. However within this period there are obvious variations in the weather. The post-monsoon period - From early September the monsoonal rain starts to decrease. By mid-October through to mid-December the weather is usually stable with mild to warm days, cold nights and clear views. Daytime temperatures can reach 25-30 degrees celsius at lower altitudes and decrease as you gain height. Over 3000 metres the daytime temperatures can vary as much as 10-20 degrees celsius, and may be hotter or colder, depending on whether it is sunny or windy etc. At night at lower altitudes, temperatures do not normally drop much, although as you approach November it does get colder and the days shorter. Up high it can drop sharply at night, from 0 to minus 10 or 15 or more when camped on snow or ice.

Winter Trekking - In winter ( December to February ), the snowline descends to around 2000-3000 metres - it rarely snows below 2000m. Winter trekking affords some of the clearest skies you will encounter as there is no monsoonal haze. Nights can be cold and temperatures may drop to as low as 0 degrees celsius to minus 5 degrees celsius. At high altitude, nights can drop to as low as minus 10 degrees celsius. Daytime temperatures can be as low as 5-10 degrees at altitudes above 3000 meteres. Daytime temperatures at lower altitudes will be mild at around 20 degrees celsius. Afternoons are usually clear and pleasant. Trekking at this time of the year affords excellent photographic opportunities.

The pre-monsoon period - In March the cold, dry winter season begins to give way to the wetter warmer spring conditions. Mornings are usually clear with cloud build up bringing occasional afternoon rainstorms. Views of the mountains in the middle of the day and afternoon may often be obscured. Daytime temperatures increase quickly in March with temperatures up to 30 degrees celsius and mild nights. At higher altitudes it is similar to the conditions of the post monsoon period, however there is usually more snow which has accumulated over the winter. There are spectacular displays of rhododendrons and wildflowers at this time of the year. Late spring conditions ie April and May, are generally hot at lower elevations and as the clouds build up to the next monsoon, daily afternoon rains are common. Any mountain weather, and particularly the Himalaya, is very unpredictable and these descriptions are generalisations only. In any season at altitudes above 3000 m night temperatures can drop as low as -20°C and snow may fall at any time of the year, causing high altitude passes to be closed and treks to be re-routed.