Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu – History

Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu – History

Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was built. But according to Nepal Mahatmya and Himvatkhanda, the deity here gained great fame there as Pasupathi, the Lord of all Pashus, which are living as well as non-living beings. Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 B.C. The richly ornamented pagoda houses the sacred Linga or holy symbol of Lord Shiva. Tradition says it was constructed by Pashupreksha of the Somadeva Dynasty in the 3^rd century BC, but the first historical records date from the 13th century. The ascetic Pasupatha sect was likely related to its foundation.

Pasupathi was a tutelary deity of the ancient rulers of the Kathmandu Valley; in 605 A.D, Amshuvarman considered himself favored by his touching of the god's feet. According to Gopalraj Aalok Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was rebuilt after the previous building was consumed by termites by Supuspa Deva, a Lichchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 A.D, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).

Another chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supuspa Deva constructed a five-storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for repairing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconstructed by a medieval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it. Over time, countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnava temple complex with a Rama temple from the 14^th century and the Guhyeshwari Temple mentioned in an 11^th century manuscript.

By the later Middle Ages, many imitations of the temple had been built, such as in Bhaktapur (1480), Lalitpur (1566) and Benares (early 19^th century). The original temple was destroyed several times until it was given its present form under King Bhupalendra Malla in 1697. The main temple complex of Pashupatinath and the sanctum sanctorum was left untouched but some of the outer buildings in the World Heritage Site were damaged by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Video Game:

The buildings and street layout of the temple was used in the video game Commandos 2: Men of Courage in one stage of the game, "Target: Burma". Although the game was set in Burma, there were references to Gurkhas, soldiers of Nepali nationality.