The knees of Sati at Guhyeshwari — adjacent to the supreme Shiva temple Pashupatinath, in the sacred valley of Kathmandu.
The Nepal Peetha is the Guhyeshwari temple at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu — one of the most powerful Shakti Peethas and the most significant goddess shrine in Nepal. The knees of Sati fell here. The Goddess is Mahamaya (the great illusion, divine creative power) — the same name as the Kashmir Peetha, reflecting how a single cosmic Shakti manifests differently at each location. The Bhairav is Kapali (the Skull-Bearer), a fierce Tantric form of Shiva.
Guhyeshwari (the Goddess of the Secret Place) is worshipped in a low, ancient structure beside the Bagmati river, directly adjacent to the Pashupatinath cremation ghats. The juxtaposition of the cremation fires of Pashupatinath and the Shakti Peetha — birth and death, Shiva and Shakti — in immediate proximity creates a spiritually intense landscape unlike any other sacred site in the Himalayas. The temple is one of the most revered in all of Nepal, and the Nepalese state has historically protected it with special status.
By taxi from Kathmandu: 5 km. Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, has direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi and many other Indian cities.
October to April. Shivaratri at Pashupatinath (February–March) draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from India and Nepal — the most powerful festival occasion for this Peetha.
Non-Hindus are not permitted inside Guhyeshwari. Entry to the Pashupatinath inner compound also requires proof of Hindu identity. The outer precinct and ghats can be observed by all.
The Knee of Goddess Sati fell at Nepal (Guhyeshwari), consecrating this land as a Shakti Peetha. The Shakti here is Mahamaya and the guardian Bhairav is Kapali.
One of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas — explore its unique significance in the divine circuit.
Explore →One of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas — explore its unique significance in the divine circuit.
Explore →One of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas — explore its unique significance in the divine circuit.
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