The Bindhyabasini Temple in Pokhara

Bindhyabasini Temple is also one of the most popular temple in Pokhara.It stand at 3000 ft above from the sea level lying in the laps of Machhapuchhare and Annapurna ranges.A fabulous view of the Pokhara city and the mountain ranges could be seen from this temple.This temple was established in B.S 1845.It is said that this temple originated when the Goddess “Bhawani “ told King khadag Bum Malla to establish her statue in Bindhyachal hill.

The Bindhyabasini Temple

Devotees offering their prayers

The most sacred and ancient Buddhist Stupa Swayambhunath

Swyambhunath bearing the meaning "self-emerged" is the most sacred and ancient Buddhist Stupa in Nepal.It was founded by the great-grandfather of King Manadev in the 5th century AD though it's origin however, date to a much earlier time, long before the arrival of Buddhism into the valley.It is lofty white dome with glittering golden spire with pair of big eyes on each of the four sides of the main Stupa symbolizing the God's all-seeing perspective.Swayambhunath stupa is also called the Monkey Temple because of the many hundreds of monkeys dwelling there.There are many chaityas, temples, painted images of deities and other religious objects like prayer wheels and flags for the Tibetan Buddhists to be seen.

According to Swayambhu Purana,Kathmandu Valley at the very beginning was a huge lake, out of which grew a lotus that radiated a brilliant light.The Bodhisatva Manjushri seeing that the valley could be a good settlement for the humans,cut a gorge with a sharp sword at Chovar and drained the water away leaving the valley of present day "Kathmandu". The lotus was transformed into a hillock and the blazing light became the Swayambhunath stupa.

Swayambhunath Temple

Stupa at Swayambhunath

Eyes of SwayambhunathPigeons on the white dome and dogs serenely lying around.

Stairway to Swayambhunath temple.It has 365 steps.

Shikhara , erected by King Pratap Malla
Prayer Flags
Small Stupas and prayer flags hanging around

Buddhist Monk behind the huge bell

Devotees spinning the prayer wheels

Bajra

Swayambhunath

Buddhist gompa at Swayambhunath

Buddha of light , Deepankar Buddha at Swayambhu

Wishing pool with statue of Buddha at Swayambhunath

Statues of Lord Buddha at the entrance area.

Swayambhunath hillock

Monkeys at Swayambhunath also called MONKEY TEMPLE

City view from the Swayambhu temple.

Statue of the Lord Gautam Buddha

Last week I was going to Balaju and on the way was the Amitabh Buddha park located at the west side of the Swoyambunath Stupa where these bigger than the life sized statues of the three Buddhas stand high.These are the biggest statues of Buddha ever in Nepal constructed in 2007.

Statue of Lord Amitaba Buddha (67 ft)

A brief history on Lord Buddha:Gautam Buddha originally Siddartha Gautam was born to King Suddhodan and Queen Mayadevi in Kapilvastu, Lumbini, Nepal in 563 B.C.At the age of 16 he was married to Princess Yashoda who bore a son, Rahul.
Despite the King's continuous effort of shielding his son from the human sufferings, Siddartha once happened to encounter an old man and further a sick man,a dead body.Deeply grieved by these sights Sidartha left the palace in search of the real meaning of one's life.He was 29 years old then.Leaving his royal life behind, he started to live like a mendicant. Siddhartha went to renowned sages but was unsatisfied with their answers to his queries.He followed the path of self-mortification that pushed him near to death.When he realized that this too was futile, he gave up and started meditating intensely sitting under the Bodhi Tree ( Pipal tree) in Bodhgaya.And on the 49th day of his meditation he attained ENLIGHTENMENT.He finally found out the ultimate truth of life and the cause of its sufferings and also how to end these infinite sorrows .He was 35 years old then.He then became BUDDHA, the awakened or enlightened one and spent the next 45 years spreading his knowledge to the mankind. He called his teachings "the Middle Way" a path of moderation.He established an order of monks called the Sangha.And at the age of 80 he was freed from the cycle of the birth and death.
Avalokiteshvara (Left) , Amitaba Buddha ,(center) and Padmasambhava (Right)

Statue of Lord Avalokiteshvara (64 ft)

Statue of Lord Padmasambhava (64 ft)

Buddha's four Noble truth
1. Human life is suffering.
2. All suffering is caused by human desires.
3. The end of desires is the end of human sufferings.
4. An end to all the desire can be achieved by following the Eightfold Noble Path which are

• Right view
• Right intention
  
• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood
• Right Effort
• Right Mindfulness
• Right Concentration

Rani Pokhari - Queen's Pond

Rani Pokhari , also known as Lani Pukhu (meaning -Queen's Pond) , located in Kathmandu is a rectangular pond with the mosque shaped Hindu temple of Lord Shiva in the middle.It was built by King Pratap Malla in memory of his beloved Queen.It is said that The King built this artificial pond to console the Queen after their son died.It is opened to visitors only once a year on the day of Bhaitika ( Brother's day ) during the festival of Tihar( Diwali ). As rani pokhari is a pond of consolation, people who have lost their brothers and sisters visit this temple to pay their tribute to their lost ones and those who have no siblings too visit this temple on this particular day in order to receive blessings from the priest.

This is the entrance to Rani pokhari

The tower behind is the city clock tower known as Ghanta ghar in Nepal .

The side views of and the shadow of the temple in the pond.

Pictures of Lord Bhairav

Here are few amazing pictures of different kinds of Lord Bhairav.

These are the images of Lord AKASH BHAIRAV which is displayed outside for a week during the Indra Jatra Festival in Hanumandhoka ,Kathmandu.

This is the picture of BAJRA BHAIRAV which I captured in Yala Mahotsav .This statue is still incomplete as they were making it in the Mahotsav itself

Lord Bhairav

Exclusive Pictures of The Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath is the most sacred temple of Lord Shiva located situated on the shore of the Bagmati river on the eastern part of Kathmandu.Only the Hindus (believers of Hinduism) are allowed to enter the temple whereas the non-Hindus are only allowed to have a look from the other bank of the Bagmati river.The present temple was built by King Bhupalendra Malla in 1653.The temple is of pagoda architecture with gold plated roof, four silver doors and fine quality wood carvings on it.There is a gold plated statue of a large bull (Nandi bull) on the western door of the temple.The deity, Chaturmukhlinga (Linga with four faces) of Pashupatinath is black in color and is 6 feet tall.It is one of the most venerated Lingas in the whole world

History:
According to the legend once Lord Shiva got tired of everyone and came to Kathmandu Valley in Slesmantak Forest without telling anybody.Before other gods discovered him,he disguised himself into a one-horned stag to get rid of his duties.And when Lord Vishnu grabbed him by his horn, it broke off ,which then became the Pashupatinath Linga. As time went by, the temple was buried and forgotten for a long period.Later a cow (Kamdhenu cow) was found dropping her milk over a mound .The cow herders dug the spot and found the lost Linga and built the temple again.

The view of the whole temple from across the Bagmati River

The main entrance of the temple. Only the Hindus can enter the temple whereas the non-hindus are allowed to have a look from this entrance only.

This is the picture of the main temple.It is a square, two-tiered pagoda temple with such silver doors on all four sides of the temple.The priests of Pashupati temple are called BHATTA.

The gold plated statue of the Nandi Bull

This is a temple at another corner which is surrounded by hundreds of Shivalingams

The Arya Ghat (cremation ground) on the bank of Holy Bagmati River.

The cremation pyres on the bank of Bagmati River.The Hindus believe that to be cremated here brings salvation and releases the dead body from the cycle of rebirth and death.

The votive shrines one behind another which could be seen at once through the first arc.I find this very interesting .

The sadhu Babas. With their unique outfit like of Lord Shiva they stay around the temple area all the time.

The only old age home run by the government since many years.We do have other private old age homes too.

Children swimming in the Bagmati River.

The Pashupatinath area.The temple has quite a large area .

Cows grazing around the Pashupatinath Area

The way to the temple where people sell flowers ans every necessary items for worshiping .