The Holy Shrine Of Muktinath

  Not only the holy Muktinath but the Himalaya region is affecting global warming. A policemen in Jomsom told that the rain is falling later times in spite of snow there.

Holy temple of Muktinath

Last week a team headed to Muktinath, a holy place located on the lap of Himalaya in Mustang district of northern Nepal from Pokhara at 5 AM. I was also a member of that team. We stay at Jomsom that night. Jomsom is the Headquarter of the Mustang district. We arrived at Kagbeni the confluence of Sambhavi and Gandaki river, next morning for Pitri Shraddha,  ancestral worship. After the conclusion of shraddha, we start for Muktinath by our Jeep. Within 45-minute jeep arrive the foot of Mukti Parvat. We find our destination after walking half an hour to upward on the hill. The temple is located at an altitude of 3710 meters above sea level. The holy temple is also one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.

   We saw remarkable numbers of male and female devotees belongs to Buddha and Hindu sect, were involved in worship at the front of this Temple and Jhuma the female priest was suggesting them. She puts a silver hat on the head of each devotee after the completion of the holy ritual in the temple.  I thought the mixed culture of Buddhism and Hinduism is developing in unified as one religion. Muktinath is the symbol of religious submission between two different sects Hinduism and Buddhism. Nepal has been enjoying religious submissions since the medieval age. Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang wrote in his travel note about Nepal's religious submission in the sixth century.

There are 108 taps of chill water flowing here from Gandaki originates from Mukti Parvat, just behind the temple, to take a holy bath for devotees. People were bathing in taps before participating in worship in the temple. Hindus believe that is an unavoidable connection between Kaligandaki River and Saligram. Saligram is one type of black stone only found in Kaligandaki. They regard Saligram as Lord Vishnu.  

There is a saying that king Mukundasen of Palpa placed an idol of Lord Vishnu and made a temple here. But someone carried this idol to Badarinath later.

      
 The land is called Mukti Chhetra, a land of salvation because Lord Vishnu got salvation from the curse of Brinda here and Buddhist named it Chumming Gyatsa means the land of hundred streams. History traces some clues that, in 8th-century Buddhist saint Padmasambhava practiced here Tantric mediation, after that he went Tibet. Padmasambhava also is known as the Rimpoche, is the founder of Tibetan or Vajrayana sect of Buddhism prevalent around the Himalayan region.   The place is one of the sacred among 24 tantric centers. The belief in the holy place is of sky dancer goddess named Dakini.  According to Sri Vaishnava scripts, Muktinath is the Divya Tirth among the 108 Tirthas. The priest of the Muktinath temple is female, second virgin daughter belongs to the Sherpa family known as Jhuma. She represents  Buddhism. She blesses the devotees of both religions.

    
  Thousands of Hindu and Buddhists of Nepal and India visit the shrine annually. Most of the Buddhist and Hindu follower has a dream to visit this holy palace as a pilgrim at least once in their life. Mustang is lodged of mystery and peace. The combination of peace and mystery of the place compels to feel religious or supernatural complacency. 

   Mustang is not only limit within the religious identity but also one of the favorite tourist hubs of  Nepal. Modern Mustang is linked with Air and road. The Internal, as well as external tourists, are visiting the mysterious land.