Jerry RajBanshi

  Shivaratri Festival at Pashupatinath Temple Located on the bank of the holy Bagmati river to the eastern part of Kathmandu, Pashupatinath Temple is revered as the holiest shrine of Lord Shiva. The two-tiered pagoda-style temple at the center of the town of Deopatan was originally built by Supuspadeva, a Lichchhavi king in 753AD. The temple was attacked and badly destroyed by Sultan Samsuddin of Bengal in the mid14th century. The temple was then erected new in the 17th century by King Bhupatindra Malla. There are gold gilt doors on all the four faces of the temple inside which stands the about three feet high Shivalinga with four faces. All these faces of the black stone diety have different names and significances and are worshipped at different times of the day. The Namboothiri Brahmins from Kerala, India are the priest to do all the rites and rituals in the temple and only 4 priests can touch the deity. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees throng at Pashupatinath on the holy...