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Gandaki Shakti Peeth (Muktinath)

Muktinath valley, below the Thorong La pass, Mustang district

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Gandaki Shakti Peeth (Muktinath)
Photo: Ironicfreak, CC BY-SA 4.0

About

Muktinath, at about 3,800 metres in Nepal's Mustang district, is one of the highest temples in the world and is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. The main pagoda shrine holds Vishnu ji as Shri Muktinath with his two consorts, and it is one of the 108 Divya Desams. Water pours from 108 spouts shaped like cow heads around the courtyard, and two ponds, the Lakshmi Kund and the Saraswati Kund, lie in front. Next door, at the Jwala Mai temple, a small flame burns over a spring of water. In the Shakti Peeth lists this is the Gandaki peeth, where the Devi is Gandaki Chandi and the Bhairav Chakrapani.

The story

The Shakti Peeth story tells that after the sorrowful events at King Daksha's yagya, Shiv ji wandered in grief with Devi Sati's body, and Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra divided it. The Tantra Chudamani says her cheek fell here in the Gandaki region, while some lists say her forehead.

The Gandaki Mahatmya of the Vishnu Purana praises this place. The Kali Gandaki river below is famous for shaligram stones, which families worship at home as forms of Vishnu ji. The Tamil Alvar saints sang of the Lord here as 'Salagramam', so the dham is dear to the Sri Vaishnavas of South India as well. The present pagoda is said to have been built in 1814–1815 by Queen Subarna Prabha Devi of Nepal. For Tibetan Buddhists the place is Chumig Gyatsa, the 'hundred springs', linked with Guru Padmasambhava, who is said to have stopped here on his way to Tibet. The valley is called Mukti Kshetra, the land of liberation, because devotees believe that darshan here leads towards moksha.

Visiting

Spring and autumn bring the clearest weather; winter is very cold, with snow. Pilgrims usually travel from Kathmandu to Pokhara, then by flight or road to Jomsom, and on by jeep or on foot. At this height, walk slowly, keep drinking water and carry warm clothes. Many pilgrims bathe under the 108 spouts and dip in the two kunds before darshan.

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources