Early modern · Hindu · Nepal

Pashupatinath Temple

पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर

Kathmandu, Bagmati · 27.7104°, 85.3488°

Shiva (Pashupati, Lord of Creatures)MallaNewar pagoda (gilt roofs)UNESCO World Heritage
Sacred since
400 CE
Licchavi-era inscriptions; national deity of Nepal
Standing structure
current pagoda 1692; Licchavi origins 5th c.
Malla

History & significance

Nepal's holiest shrine and the seat of its national deity: the four-faced Pashupati linga on the Bagmati, served by Bhatta priests from South India in a custom linking Kathmandu to the wider Shaiva world. The riverside ghats are the great cremation ground of Nepal — liberation within Pashupati's sight; part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site. Maha Shivaratri draws a million pilgrims and legions of sadhus.

Sthala katha — the legend

Shiva, weary of Kailasa, fled here as a golden gazelle to roam the Bagmati forests; the gods broke his antler to summon him back, and where the antler fell the linga arose — the lord staying on as Pashupati, refuge of every creature.

Reaching there

East Kathmandu, near airport; Hindus only in main courtyard; PADT administers.

Official site ↗Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map

Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
Thanjavur · India
1003–1010 CE
Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Gangaikonda Cholapuram · India
c. 1035 CE
Airavatesvara Temple
Darasuram, Kumbakonam · India
mid-12th c. CE
Shore Temple
Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) · India
c. 700–728 CE
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
Hampi · India
7th-c. origins; major Vijayanagara expansion
Vittala Temple, Hampi
Hampi · India
15th–16th c.

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Malla