Kathmandu Valley in Nepal is home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one of them is the Pashupatinath Temple that is beautifully located along the banks of the Bagmati River to the east of the capital city of Kathmandu. The temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Vishna and the seat of Lord Pashupati, Nepal’s national deity. It is intricately ornamented with a number of sacred linga or phallic images of Lord Shiva. Since this is considered a most holy religious site, only Hindus are allowed to enter; non-Hindus may not even cross the river to approach it. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims from all over the world come here annually and refer to the temple as The Temple of Living Beings. It is one the 275 Shiva temples that are referred to as Holy Abodes of Shiva (Paadal Petra Sthalams) in South Asia.
This important two-storey temple was completely renovated and rebuilt in the 17th century by King Bhupendra Malla after the original …