Religious Tourism Sites In Nepal

Nepal- is a country that is not only rich in natural diversity but also in religion and culture. Nepal is an 80 percent Hindu-dominated country with most of the significant Hindu pilgrimage centers concentrated in the country. Buddhism is the second most practiced religion in Nepal as Nepal is the birthplace of Gautam Buddha (founder of Buddhism). Many cultural sites are also listed in the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)world heritage site.

These are some of the famous religious places of Nepal:

a) Pashupatinath Temple: Hinduism, being the major religion in Nepal is widely practiced all over Nepal. Lord Shiva is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism as Shiva himself refers to power. So Pashupatinath being the temple of Lord Shiva attracts lots of tourists especially from the neighbouring country India. The main temple is built in the Nepalese Pagoda style of architecture and is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Kathmandu.

b) Muktinath Temple: It is a Vishnu temple located in the Muktinath valley at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Muktinath, Nepal. This temple is very sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. It is one of the world’s highest temples at an altitude of 3800m. Many visitors from India and Nepal visit this temple yearly. International tourists visit Muktinath mainly en route to the Annapurna Circuit Trek. September, October and November are regarded as the best months to visit this temple. There is no direct flight from Kathmandu to Muktinath so one needs to fly to Pokhara first which is a 25-minute flight journey. From Pokhara, it is a 20-minute flight to Jomsom and from there it is an hour’s drive to Muktinath. If you want to drive directly from Kathmandu then it is 7 hours of direct drive to Muktinath.

c) Lumbini: Lumbini is the holiest pilgrimage site for the people following Buddhism as this is where the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha was born. It is located in the Rupandehi district of Lumbini province in Nepal. There are various monuments, monasteries and museums within the site. It was also made a world heritage site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1997.  Lumbini is a 10-hour drive from Kathmandu and a 30-minute drive from Bhairahawa. The closest airport is Gautama Buddha International Airport at Bhairahwa with flights to and from Kathmandu. There are a few places must see in Lumbini and they are; the Mayadevi temple, World peace pagoda, Myanmar golden temple, Ashoka Pillar, and Lumbini crane sanctuary.

d) Gosainkunda: Gosainkund is an alpine freshwater lake in Langtang National Park located at an elevation of 4380 m. Gosainkunda is a very religious site to Hindus as in Hindu mythology this kunda attributes to be the adobe of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati. It is water is considered holy as such there are thousands of pilgrimages from Nepal and India visiting this area during the festival of Jana Purnima. The best season to visit this place is October, November, December, March, April and May. As it is very near to Kathmandu one can ride to Dhunche to start the trek.