हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Muktinath

A Vishnu tirtha at 3,710 metres below the Thorong La pass, one of the 108 Divya Desams and sacred to Buddhists as well.

Built: Ancient tirtha, sung by the Alvars; present pagoda shrine of later dateWhere: Mustang, Gandaki Province, NepalDeity: Bhagwan Vishnu as Muktinath, Lord of liberation28.82° N, 83.87° E
Photo: Krish Dulal · CC BY-SA 3.0

01Shaligrama country

The Kali Gandaki river below Muktinath carries the shaligramas, black ammonite stones with spiral marks that Vaishnavas worship as Vishnu himself. The tirtha has been called Shaligrama in the old texts, and Tamil Vaishnavas count it among the 108 Divya Desams because Periyalvar and Tirumangai Alvar sang of it. In a small pagoda shrine stands Vishnu as Muktinath, the Lord who gives mukti. Behind it 108 bull-headed spouts pour icy glacier water, and pilgrims run under all of them before entering, then dip in the two kundas in front.

02Fire on water

A short walk away is Jwala Mai, where small blue flames of natural gas burn steadily beside a trickle of spring water and on bare rock, a sight held sacred by Hindus and Buddhists alike. For Tibetan Buddhists the place is Chumig Gyatsa, the Hundred Springs, blessed by Guru Padmasambhava, and Buddhist nuns tend parts of the complex. The two traditions share the ground without dispute. The road now reaches nearby Ranipauwa, and many pilgrims fly to Jomsom and drive up.

Visiting

Fly Pokhara to Jomsom (weather permitting), then road to Ranipauwa and a short climb. Watch for altitude sickness; avoid winter, when snow closes the way.

Nearby

Manakamana Temple, GorkhaStanding
The Mughal era and the resistance

Manakamana Temple, Gorkha

A two-roofed pagoda temple of the Devi on a ridge above the meeting of the Trishuli and the Marsyangdi. Nepalis come here to ask for what the heart wants, and come back to give thanks when it is granted.

LumbiniExcavated
The Maurya Empire

Lumbini

The grove in the Terai where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama. Ashoka came here in the twentieth year of his reign and set up a pillar recording the birth, which still stands.

GosaikundaStanding
Vedic Rishis and the Itihasa

Gosaikunda

A high lake in the Langtang mountains that Nepali tradition holds Mahadev made with his trishul after drinking the poison of the churning of the ocean. On Janai Purnima thousands climb to bathe in it.

Budhanilkantha (Jalashayana Narayan)Standing
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Budhanilkantha (Jalashayana Narayan)

A single block of black stone, about five metres long, carved as Narayan asleep on the coils of Shesha and laid in a tank of water below the Shivapuri hills. It is the largest stone sculpture of the Kathmandu valley and still under daily worship.