Pashupatinath Temple

The Pashupatinath complex is the holiest Shaivite site in Nepal and a major destination for pilgrims from across the subcontinent. Spread along both banks of the Bagmati River, it includes the main golden-roofed temple, hundreds of shrines and lingas, ashrams, and the riverside ghats used for Hindu cremation.

Worship at the site dates back at least to the early centuries CE; the present main temple in its current form was rebuilt in 1692 after earlier structures decayed. Only practising Hindus may enter the inner sanctum, which houses a sacred Mukhalinga (four-faced linga).

Pashupatinath is one of the most important Shiva temples in the world and the spiritual centre of Nepali Hinduism. Maha Shivaratri draws hundreds of thousands of devotees and sadhus each year.

The two-tiered main temple has a cubic structure with gilded copper roofs, four silver-plated doors, and a large gilded statue of Nandi the bull. The wider complex displays a thousand years of votive architecture in stone and metal.

Current condition: Active temple, well maintained; minor 2015 repairs completed

Administered by the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), which oversees conservation, the ghats and the surrounding forest.