The Pashupatinath Temple, devoted to Pashupati ("lord of animals"), a form of Lord Shiva, is a 1500-year-old pagoda-style temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, gilded with gold and frequented by deer, goats, cows, and monkeys. It is the oldest temple in the region, housing nearly 500 temples in its complex on the banks of the Bagmati River, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Origin Story: Legend says Shiva and Parvati once took the form of antelopes and lived in the forest near the Bagmati. When the gods chased them, Shiva tried to hide underground, and one of his horns broke off, forming a divine linga that remained buried until a herdsman found his cow pouring milk over the spot, leading to the temple's establishment.
Architecture: The current main temple, built in the 17th century after the earlier structure was destroyed by termites, has a pagoda-style double-storey copper roof covered in gold. The inner sanctum houses a one-metre-high stone Mukhalinga with faces in four directions, representing different aspects of Shiva, kept covered with a golden sheet when not being worshipped.
Significance: The temple has the holiest Hindu funeral ground in Nepal, with cremation ghats along the Bagmati - the Arya Ghat, where members of Nepal's royal family are cremated, is considered the most auspicious. More than a million devotees attend Mahashivaratri celebrations here each year.