Pashupatinath Temple

About Pashupatinath Temple

• It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a form of Shiva.
• Location: It is located on both banks of the Bagmati River on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal.
• The temple’s age is not exactly certain, but legend indicates its existence dates back to 400 BC.
• In 1979, the temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Features:
  • The temple complex includes 518 temples, buildings, and structures. 
  • The main temple is designed in the Nepalese pagoda style, with a tiered roof and plinth.
  • It is a two-tiered structure with a gold-plated roof.
  • The temple has two interior rooms where the Pashupatinath idol is placed.
  • It is a cubic structure with four main doors, all covered with silver sheets.
  • One of the most astonishing decorations of the temple is the huge golden statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull.

What is a Pagoda?

• A Pagoda is a towerlike, multistory, solid or hollow structure made of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with a Buddhist temple complex, common in China, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. 
• The pagoda structure derives from that of the stupa, a hemispherical, domed, commemorative monument first constructed in ancient India. 
• Pagodas are constructed around a central staircase and can have many forms.
• A pagoda has three sections: a base, a body, and a top, which often takes the form of a miniature pagoda.

Q1) What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A World Heritage site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). World Heritage sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The sites are judged to contain “cultural and natural heritage around the world considered being of outstanding value to humanity.”

Source: Meat, alcohol prohibited around Pashupatinath Temple for a week on occasion of Bala Chaturdashi festival

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