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Muktinath
(3800m): situated about 21.5 kilometers from Jomsom Airport.
Muktinath falls on the route of the Mt. Annapurna circuit Trek.
It is believed that all miseries/sorrows are relived once you
visit this temple. Muktinath is an important pilgrimage place
for both Hindus and Buddhists. The holy shrines at Muktinath are
in a grove of trees and include a Buddhist monastery and the
pagoda-style temple of Vishnu Temple, containing an image of
Vishnu. Around the temple is a wall from which 108 waterspouts,
cast in the shape of cows' heads, pour forth-sacred water. Even
more sacred is the water that issues from a rock inside the
ancient Tibetan-style Jwala Mai temple. Inside this monastery,
behind a tattered curtain, are small natural gas jets that
produce a perpetual holy flame alongside a spring that is the
source of the sacred water. This auspicious combination of
earth, fire and water is responsible for the religious
importance of Muktinath. It Is often possible to see Tibetan
women with elaborate turquoise-embedded headdresses, engaged in
devotions at these shrines. |
