PASHUPATINATH, LOCATED EAST OF KATHMANDU ON THE BANKS OF THE SACRED BAGMATI RIVER, IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SHIVA TEMPLES IN SOUTH ASIA, ATTRACTING MANY ASIAN HINDU WORSHIPPERS AND NEIGHBOURING INDIAN DEVOTEES TO MAKE PILGRIMAGES. But don't think that any Hindu can enter the temple for pilgrimage, which was not accessible to untouchables until 2001 and was only allowed to open after 2001. The kings of Nepal also come here to pray for blessings before each trip.

Since the "Pasupati" temple is not allowed to non-Hindus, visitors can only stand on the opposite side of the Bagmati River and pay their respects to the temple! The entrance fee is 250 rupees, and pagans are not allowed to enter the temple even if they pay for it. Of course, Shakru is not within the limit.

The "Bagmati River" is a sacred river whose status is as important as the "Ganges" in India and is a very popular cremation site. There is a footbridge over the Bagmati River that connects the two banks and divides the crematorium into two sides, the crematorium on the north side of the river is for the common people, and the south side of the river, which is the side with the orange flower platform, is for the royal family, nobles, etc. (The royal family members of Nepal, including the emperor and queen, were cremated here, but that was in 2001.) ）

It may be that Shakru and other people came earlier, only one is burning on the north side of the river, and there is a burning table on the south side of the river that has already been arranged, which is covered with yellow flowers: marigold (the name is very good, in fact, it is the kind of yellow chrysanthemum that we can often see in the flower bed, and there are also stinky hibiscus).

Even though he had been in India for several years, Shakru still disagreed, and even hated this way of disposing of corpses, so he didn't bother to watch the cremation, so he made a proposal. The group came to the opposite bank of the temple, where there are rows of "Linga" caves.

In the center of the cave are placed the symbols of Shiva "Linga" and "Yoni". When visiting the temple of Lord Shiva, it is common to see a black, bald stone pillar about half a meter long erected in the center of the temple, and one after another Indian pilgrims worship it. Among the Hindu gods, Lord Shiva is the god of fertility, and he is covered in **** and has a huge **** XX.

This pillar is most commonly found in Hindu temples. In fact, the **** that represents the man, the Hindu believers call it Linga. Why do you have to kowtow to the male root in the Great Temple? It turns out that since ancient times, Hindus have worshipped fertility and paid attention to the markers of the genitals. Linga worship originated in the ancient Indus civilization.

There is also a small terracotta sculpture corresponding to Linga, called Yoni. Yoni resembles a millstone with a hole in the middle, representing **********, and sometimes a statue of a naked woman. Holding a big belly symbolizes human reproduction. The statues of Yoni come in a variety of forms, but they all represent Goddess Pavarti, the wife of Lord Shiva. But in fact, Linga in Hinduism is not just about fertility, but also about creativity!

Walking up the stairs next to the "Linga" cave, Shakru found many neatly arranged small houses, and after asking, he learned that these small houses were all "hermit caves". The so-called "Hermit Cave" is actually a place of practice for some hermits or dervishes. The area is not large, about 1~2 square meters. There are windows on all sides. Inside, it was found that there were portraits of "Lord Shiva" and other gods, as well as marigolds to be worshipped.

"Hey, why aren't there any hermits cultivating in these hermit caves?" Shakru asked curiously.

Alok replied with some embarrassment: "Well, there are almost no hermits or ascetics who stay in the cave and practice seriously, because "Pasupate" is a must-see place for every visitor to Nepal. So they couldn't meditate any longer, so they all ran to the tourist observation deck on the other side of the river to solicit guests to take pictures with them and ask for money! Usually they ask tourists for 100 to 200 rupees, but in reality they just give them 10 to 20 rupees and they do the same."

Shakru was a little speechless about this. So, are these fellows hermits, just another form of busker, or simply beggars? Curious, Shakru ran to take a special look at these so-called "hermits", and found that they had different appearances, some were naked, and only wrapped in a rag in the vital parts, some were fully dressed and wore various accessories, and the same place was that all of them had their hair and beards very long, and they all maintained various strange postures, which reminded Shakru of a report in his previous life, saying that an ascetic insisted on raising his right hand for more than 30 years, and in the end he couldn't put it down if he wanted to

After resting at the top of the mountain, you will go down the stairs to a side gate outside the "Pasupati", and near this side gate, there is a small temple called "Guhyeswari"

The temple is dedicated to Kali, the terrifying incarnation of Shiva's consort goddess Parvati. Non-Hindus are also not allowed to enter. The name of this temple is a combination of the Sanskrit words "****" and "goddess". Because there is such a story: legend has it that Lord Shiva was insulted by his father-in-law one day, and his wife threw herself on fire in a fit of rage, when Shiva learned about it, she was very sad, holding her wife's body and leaving, along the way, her body slowly scattered, and her **** fell here! So the name of this temple is the **** temple of the goddess. (This temple is weird!) ）

Because of this legend, Hindu women have been treated with a certain cruelty in history - martyrdom! In the history of Hinduism, there was an unwritten custom that if a husband died, the wife would jump into the fire and burn her husband alive during the cremation process. This brutal burial was finally banned about 100 years ago, but it is still practiced from time to time in some remote areas of India and Nepal.

Another point that makes Shakru deeply feel is that the whole "Pasupate" is not so much a temple as a monkey's paradise, whether it is in the main temple of "Pasupate" or on the observation deck on the opposite bank, on the bridge, by the river, on the top of the mountain, as long as you can see it, the monkeys are everywhere. Because of the influence of the Nepalese belief that all things have life, and the monkeys are sacred animals, these monkeys have become emboldened, stealing, robbing, smashing and other incidents occur from time to time! The arrogance is comparable to that of the monkeys in Mount Emei! (To be continued.) )