Pashupatinath tour: Temple of Shiva

About this recording

Creator

Kristin Post

Date created

October 12, 2000

Duration

6:16

Location

Pashupatinath, Nepal

File

MP3

License

This recording copyright ©2000. Terms of use

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• Search LEARN NC for gods, gold, Hinduism, holy, hospitals, legends, Mother Theresa, Nepal, Pashupatinath, religion, Shiva, and temples.

In the classroom

In this recording, I learn about the biggest temple in Pashupatinath, dedicated to Shiva. We also learn about a hospital built by Mother Theresa. And then we hear about another building in Pashupatinath, distinctive for its five steeples sticking up.

Then we talk about Shiva, and why there is a temple to him in Pashipatinath. There is a legend about how he came to earth, but disguised himself as a deer, but he retained his distinctive three eyes. The temple is built where part of his deer horn broke off.

From my journal:

See Pashpati, the giant bull (golden.) Can’t go in. Two boys say “hello,” I ask where the Eye Center is. I ask about some white temples I could see from the hilltop. End up being guided by Ajit, 19 year old who’s been giving tours for 9 years. Went to India by himself when he was 11. There is a wonderful connection between us — and we have a lovely afternoon — sitting on terrace looking at crowds and watching preparation of the dead body.

Transcript

[This is a partial transcript.]

Pashupatinath — an important reincarnation of Lord Shiva. In Hinduism, it means “Lord of all the living beings.” Pashipatinath is the main temple in the city dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Sixteen silver doors inside the temple, dedicated from the first prime minister of Nepal, Primsim Thapa[?].

Behind the silver doors is a sacred statue with four faces that represent the four important gods of Hinduism — Brahma (creator), Vishnu (protector), Maheswara (?) (reincarnation), and Shiva (destroyer). [note: often, websites will describe only a trinity of primary Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.]

The Pashupatinath temple was destroyed in the fourteenth century by Muslims. It was rebuilt in the 1700’s by King Prachan Delewa (?).

Mother Theresa came to Nepal on September. 8, 1980. She saw lot of old people dying of diseases and received permission to build a hospital to take care of the elderly. One hundred and ninety people live in the hospital, but only 50 get treatment from Theresa. The rest are supported by money from a German NGO (non-governmental organization.)

The woman who replaced Mother Theresa as Mother Superior, Mother Nirmala is originally from a Nepali family, and was born in northern India (close to the border with Nepal.)

There are five smaller temples in Pashupatinath that contain shiva lingum, a symbol of regeneration, or life. These temples may represent the five elements that make up the human body according to Hindu beliefs: water, earth, air, sky, and fire. Or the temples may have been built by a king whose five sons died in a disaster.

Shiva is reincarnated in many forms. The reason a temple in his honor was built in this area is because it is believed he descended to earth there and liked the area very much. But he knew he would not be able to stay there unless he was in disguise. So he took form of a deer, but the deer had three eyes. The other gods want him back in heaven, and went looking for him. They saw the deer with three eyes and knew it was Shiva, because Shiva also has three eyes (one on his forehead stays closed until the end of creation, when he will open his third eye and destroy everything.) When the gods captured Shiva in the form of the deer, its horn is broken into three parts. The temple is built where one of the three parts fell. The other parts are inside the earth in heaven. Shiva is in Kailash, Mt. Kailash (a real mountain), in Tibet.

There is a town on Annapurna circuit called Muktinath where many religious pilgrims go. People go there to get rid of bad karmas, to wash bad karma away. For six months of the year it is a Hindu place and for six months it is Buddhist. Both Hindus and Buddhists go to pray there.