Muktinath Yatra in 2016

This blog was first posted in Facebook in 2016. However, I realised later that this is a better place to host it and hence reposting it here.

My wife Lalitha and I completed Muktinath Yatra in the last week of May, 2016. This was immediately before our Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in June, 2016 I give below the details of our Muktinath Yatra for the benefit of future yatris.

We used the services of Shankar Treks, Bengaluru to organise our yatra. Our itinerary was as follows

Kathmandu - Pokhara - Jomsom - Muktinath - Jomsom - Pokhara - Kathmandu

We flew into Kathmandu via Delhi from Mumbai. Kathmandu airport is very simple and basic. After a quick retrieval of our luggage and immigration, we were transported to a good hotel (Hotel Amadablam) very near the famous Pashupatinath temple of Kathmandu. After lunch and some rest, we went in the evening to the temple which was a mere 5-7 minutes walk away. The weather was good and, fortunately for us, it was not too crowded at the temple.

Pasupathinath Temple

Like any typical Hindu temple, there are many priests available outside who offer to guide you as well as organise the pooja. We declined the offer and, instead, used the services of a local guide. We were warned about pickpockets and other petty thieves and took care of our belongings. The guide was nice and showed us all the important spots in the temple including the small river that flows by and the cremation grounds adjacent to the river.

There are four doorways to the inner sanctum of the temple and devotees can have a darshan of the deity from any or all of the doorways. The four doorways are opened simultaneously during the aarti only -at other times, only the doorway in the east side is open. The Nandi outside the sanctum on the east side is huge and plated with a metal which looks like gold. The priests who manage the inner sanctum are traditionally from South India only. Usually no devotee is allowed inside the sanctum. Special tickets for darshan and pooja can be purchased from the State Bank counter just outside the main gate of the temple.

There are lots of monkeys in and around the temple premises and I had the experience of one small monkey coming and tapping my right shoulder while I was seated along the wall in the temple premises. The tap was gentle and felt like a small child's hand. I was startled and also worried that the monkey should not snatch my glasses. Luckily, nothing like that happened.

There is also a temple inside the main compound of Pashupatinath temple dedicated to Shankaracharya and His chief disciples. Inside the temple premises, there is also a nice 'Kaal Bhairav' temple. There is also a Hanuman idol next to the gigantic Nandi. There is a small compound adjacent to the temple which has about 108 Shiva Lingas. The walkway in this compound is like a mini-maze and, when we walk in that mini-maze, we virtually do a pradakshina around the 108 Shiva Lingas.

Outside the temple, there are many shops selling Rudrakshas, Sphatik items etc. We had a good time shopping around for souvenirs. We were lucky to get some very good Shaligrams from a shop run by one of the temple priests. As there are so many shops selling similar stuff, one should be careful not to end up buying spurious stuff. We did see some shops selling fake Shaligrams.

We returned to the hotel and came back for another visit the next morning. The rest of the day was spent shopping around in Kathmandu and relaxing in the hotel.

Hotel Landmark, Pokhra

The next morning, we took a bus to Pokhara. This tourist town is about 180 km from Kathmandu. We went through some scenic countryside in a bus driven very well by a local driver called Radheyshyam. We reached Pokhara quite late at night and barely had time for dinner and a quick sleep. We were put up in a good hotel (Hotel Landmark) at Pokhara very near the huge lake that is the main attraction of the town.

The next morning, we had breakfast and drove to the nearby airport of Pokhara. This is a small airport and very very basic. The airport is surrounded by mountains and the place is very picturesque. From here, we had kept our fingers crossed because flights are directly dependent on the unpredictable weather. Luckily, after some delay, our flights took off. The ideal time to leave is early in the morning when the winds are quiet. Within a short time, approx 25 minutes, we had landed in the high altitude location of Jomsom. The flight to Jomsom was exhilarating - there were only about 15 passengers in the small flight.

Inside the small aircraft

Along the way, we could see the beautiful Annapurna range above which we flew. At some stage, the wind was strong and rocked the flight. The landing at that high altitude was a great experience.

It was very cold and windy at Jomsom. There was hardly any vegetation due to the high altitude. We walked to our hotel (Hotel Majestic) from the airport as it was barely 75 meters away from the airport gate. At the hotel, we had a quick briefing and then we left on a bus towards Muktinath. It took us almost an hour in a rickety and wobbling bus to reach Muktinath. The ride was through rough paths and at times over the bed of the Gantaki river. The river bed is huge but actual water flow was not much and was more like a small stream. I guess the river might be full during melting of snow or rains.

After reaching Muktinath, we still had a 3 km distance to cover to reach the temple. Most of us walked but a few took the help of Ponies to cover the distance. The walk was not easy as the lack of oxygen in that altitude made us a little breathless. We reached the temple in about 45 minutes. Luckily for us, it did not rain on the way as, with the exception of a few small shops, there was no scope of any shelter along the way. On the way up & down, we found a few locals selling Shaligrams at very reasonable prices.

Muktinath temple

The temple is a quaint and small structure.

There are two ponds outside the temple where one has to have a dip before taking a bath on the 108 streams of the Gantaki river. These streams are arranged in the form of pipes of water flowing from the mouth of cows along a semi circle around the temple. The water in the ponds and from the streams are chilling and my head became virtually numb underneath the streams of the Gantaki river.

After this bath and a quick change of clothes, we went inside the temple for the darshan of Lord Muktinath who is believed to give Mukti or Moksha or Salvation to all devotees who come to have His darshan. The same deity is worshipped as Vishnu in the morning hours and as Buddha in the later part of the day.

Rudrabhishekam at the temple

This temple is holy to both Hindus and Buddhists. We had a small pooja ceremony sitting outside the Sanctum and chanted the Vishnu Sahasranama (1008 names) and also did Rudrabhishekam accompanied by the chanting of Rudram-Chamakam.

On the way back, we visited a temple which has many Shaligrams and which is within the Muktinath temple complex. Muktinath is also known as the Shaligram Kshetram (abode of the Shaligram) which is found in plenty along the bed of the Gantaki river. Shaligram is believed to be the swaroop (form) of Lord Vishnu and hence very auspicious. Readers may google more on Shaligram stone to understand the significance of it.

Before returning to Jomsom, we had a hearty vegetarian lunch at a local restaurant organised by our tour operator. As we were all hungry after the trek, bath etc. and because it was also delayed, we wolfed down the chapatis, dal, rice and sabzi very quickly.

That night we stayed at Jomsom. We were provided with a lovely south Indian style vegetarian meal at Hotel Majestic. We left early the next morning back to Pokhara. The flights took off on time and the return journey was equally thrilling. At Pokhara, we did some sightseeing including a boat ride in the lake and a visit to the Devi temple which is located in the middle of the lake. We went to a huge underground Shiva temple called Gupteshwar which is in the center of the city and marvelled at the effort that would have gone to build this temple.

On the way back from Pokhara to Kathmandu by bus, we halted at the famous Manakamana temple. This temple can be reached by a ropeway - the largest in Nepal and runs over 2 km long. The trip was memorable and thoroughly enjoyable. The temple was under renovation after being damaged by the recent earthquake. It is believed that one who visits this temple can get all wishes (Manakamana means desires of the mind) fulfilled.

Gujjeshwari temple

We reached Kathmandu in the evening and visited the Shakti Sthal temple called Gujjeshwari (also called Guhyeshwari) where it is believed that the hind part of Sati's corpse had fallen when Lord Shiva was carrying her body after Her self immolation. It is a nice temple and a must visit for all visitors to the capital city of Nepal.

We also visited a unique temple in the city of Kathmandu called the Jal Narayan temple. Here the Lord Narayan can be seen lying in a reclining pose on Sheshnag (the divine serpent) on a body of water. The unique thing about the temple is that the reflection on the water is an exact replica of what is seen above the surface. It is an engineering marvel indeed. Another must visit for all visitors.

Jal Narayan temple

The other big attraction which we visited is the Swayambhu temple in the heart of Kathmandu. This is a Buddhist temple which can be reached by climbing a steep stairway of about 350 steps. There are Buddhist stupas and other temples at the top. One can also get an aerial view of the entire city of Kathmandu from here. One the way up and also at the top, there are many shops where one can buy curios and other locally manufactured stuff.

Broadly this covers our Muktinath Yatra.

Happy to respond to any questions and provide further information.

Newly wedded Nepali couple