Facts About Muktinath ...

Muktinath Temple

Mukthinath is a holy place which is mutually respected and supported by the Buddhists and the Hindus. It is situated at an altitude of 3710 metres in the Mukthinath Valley. It is located in the Mustang district of Nepal, in the Annapurna Circuit at the foot of the Thorong La Mountain pass. This pace can be ideally visited from March to June as the weather condition is most favourable during this period.

There are many special attributes which has made it a revered place for many devotes all over the world.

•  This place is also called ‘Mukti Kshetra’ by the Hindus meaning a ‘place of Moksha’ or ‘place of liberation’.

• The Mukthinath temple is the 105^th Divya Desam among the 108 Divya Desams.

• The Mukthinath temple is most sacred for the Hindu Vaishnavas and is one among their eight most sacred shrines.

• The outer courtyard or prakaram has 108 bull faces through which water is poured out.

• The 108 pipes surrounding the temple complex has sacred water flowing denoting the water of sacred Pushkarini. It is believed that the water flows from all the 108 Divya Desams which includes Tirumala, Vaikunta and Srirangam. Despite the freezing conditions, the devotees blissfully take their bath in this sacred place.

• It is also considered to a Shakti Peetha which is the holy abode of Goddess Parvati. In Mukthinath the ‘Shakti’ is known by the name ‘Gandaki Chandi’ and the ‘Bhairava’ is addressed as ‘Chakrapani’.

• Before the origin of Buddhists, this place was known Thiru Saligrama Sila. It was called so because the place consists of the Saligrama Sila which according to Hindus is considered as the natural available form of Sriman Narayana or Vishnu.

• Downstream, the waterway that flows is the place of origin or source of all the Shaligramas or Silas. The riverbed of the holy river Kali Gandaki or Salagrami entirely consists of these sacred stones. To establish a Vishnu temple in any part of the world, the shaligrams are essential.

• The revered Satguru of Sabij Yoga Sir Swaminarayan at the end of 18^th century also did severe penance here for two and a half month. He achieved the proficiency of the highest degree in ‘Nishkamvrat’.

• Recently the pontiff of the venerated Srivaishanava centre in Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu, created a milestone in this revered place. He has installed the sacred idols of Ramanjua (the foremost Vaishnava Acharya), Manavala Mamunigal(Hindu religious leader) and Andal (Sri Gotha Devi).

• The greatest attribute of this place is that it represents the presence of all the five elements air, sky, earth, fire and water in their distinctive form. It is quite astonishing to see trees growing at such an unusual and high altitude. This is the very reason and for many other unseen reasons, both the Hindu yogis as well as the Buddhist yogis come to Mukthinath for doing meditation.

• The Tibetan Buddhist Nuns take care of the Mukthinath Temple.

• It is called ‘Chumig Gyatsa’ by the Buddhists which mean ‘Hundred Waters’. It is also believed to be the abode of the Sky Dancers, Dakinis.

• It is one of the 24 revered Tantric places for the Buddhists.

This place is believed to be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who is most revered in the Mahayana Buddhism. Only the blessed and the gifted are fortunate this holy place and get the Holy blessings of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.

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About Author :- Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays.