Muktinath - Pathway to Liberation ( Moksh)!!
Muktinath!!
Om namo bhagvate vasudevaya! ( Salutations to Lord Vishnu)
In Sanskrit, mukti means “liberation” and nath means “lord”: Muktinath therefore means “The God of Salvation.” The name refers to both the main temple and the area as a whole, which is also considered very holy. Hindus also call the region Mukti Kshetra, or “The Place of Salvation,” and believe that a person attains moksha, or freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth, after visiting the holy shrine. Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu in Hinduism) revere Muktinath as one of the Divya Desams (the 108 supreme places) where Lord Vishnu resides. The sacred water that flows in 108 stone spouts at the back of the main temple represents water from all 108 Vaishnava shrines. Similarly, the Tibetan name for Muktinath is Chumig Gyatsa, which means “The Hundred Springs.” For both Tibetan Buddhists and the Himalayan Buddhists of Nepal, it is venerated as one of the 24 places where Guru Rinpoche practiced in the 8th century on his way from India to Tibet, and is a very important place where dakinis (dancing goddesses who are manifestations of energy in space) are said to reside.
It all began with the conclusion of our Panchatatvam (spiritual ) tour of Spanish Travellers in Varanasi. I had already decided to club my Nepal tour with Panchatatvam spiritual tour one month before the departure.The only objective was to visit Muktinath in Mustang Valley and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu! The two abodes of two lords, the creator Lord Shiva and the protector Lord Vishnu.
Mukitnath as the word itslelf means lord of mukti or moksh ( liberation)!! Its this place where all the cycles of life and death stops and you eventually dissolve into the ultimate supreme, only human body has that kind of possibility beyond survival to reach supreme! It is located in Muktinath valley at the foothills of Thorong La mountain pass near Mustang. To reach Muktinath , flights are available from Pokhara, one of the busiest town in Nepal. Mustang is very popular place for trekkers and you will find herds of trekkers travelling to Mustang Valley.
So I landed at Jomsom airport by small chartered plane from pokhara. It was fantastic flight flying through the snow mountains of Annapurna circuit and Dhawalagiri range. Never ever experienced such sight before, the vapours coming out the snow mountains and the clouds around were simply majestic and you can just imagine how lord Shiva would have meditated in Kailasa, I was not sure whether I was watching it in real or was it an imagination of painter putting his brush in the form colours on piece of paper!! Within 30 mins of flight, we landed in Jomsom, tinest of the airports, quick checkout and I was out on the street of the Jomsom. Winds were too strong and cold waves were hitting hard. I quickly walked towards the hotel planned. Happened to meet few locals on the way to hotel.
On reaching to the hotel, I was offered cup of tea, I was actually needed one in that cold climate.
I happened to meet one of the maharashtrian group from Pune with whom I was clubbed to visit Muktinath! I didnt want to reveal my identity to anyone, I just wanted to visit Muktinath as life itself without any identity. Permitts are required to visit Muktinath before arrival,any travel company in Nepal would get it done for you. Drive was around 25 kms drive through terrains, empty road, hilly regions and across the kaligandki river ( river which is black in colour and full of shaligrams ( stone which is symbol of Lord Vishnu and used to worship Lord Vishnu)).
After a drive of around 1.5 hours, we happen to reach at the drop point of Muktinath, from there it was a walk of around 1 hour to the peak. So I started moving towards the temple, it was magnificient walk through small houses, coffee shops, tea stalls, hotels and food joints.
While climbing the steps, I reached at the main gate of the temple.
From there onwards , I started climbing the stairs, in between I met many sadhus, sanyasis and holy men. While reaching towards the final steps, I saw beautiful flow of water stream making soothing affect and was moving parallely to the stair case overall making the atmosphere more mesmerizing. Finally after taking the last step, I reached at the main entrance of temple were two hot water ponds where devotees were taking bath and the back of the temple there 108 bull faces from where the sacred water flows, devotees takes bath first before entering for darshan ( visit).
If you observe this pagoda style temple,it is not as grand as we see in the most southern part of India, say Turipathi or Padnabhanswamy temple, but yes it is the most powerful place! Grandness is for eyes, simplicity is the way of life...
Something was mystic about this entire atmosphere, you can say due to the climate or due to the purity of the air or due to the rituals around, divinity was at the peak. Hindus and Buddhists believes that this is the purest place on earth where the five elements ( earth, air, water,sky,fire) are in best sync with each other.The state of mind was not the same for me, I was completely absorbed in the divine love and it was enchanting as a whole.I happen to take a seat at the back of the temple and meditate for long. I simply closed my eyes and got into a state which cant be expressed in words. I dont know how much time I was sitting, but yes it was more than hour in which I completely lost myself. When I open my eyes I saw few people clicking my pictures, it was strange situation and I completely took control of it and moved from that place to the entrace of the shrine.
Muktinath is one of the eight most sacred places of Vaishnavas sect. The others are Badrinath, Pushkar,Srirangam, Srimushnam,Thotadri,Tirupati,Naimisharanya. It is also one of 108 shaktipeeths where Sati devi Forehead was fallen at this place. This place has dual importance!! Dont miss it!!
Little more steps above Muktinath and you have Tibetian buddhist monastery , the silence at this place would pierce your heart. Stillness around will make you more still and will not allow you to move unless divine tells you to do so. I was sitting at this place for couple of hours observing the mountains, feeling the air and relaxing around. You will eventually realise that all your struggle in your life is just an illusion, nothing belongs to you nor you belong to anyone. We always try to relate ourselves with things, thoughts, people, places and what not! Just try to feel life as it is, things would gradually change..
After few hours of stay, I started my journey back towards the bus halt. In between, I happen to meet one of the sanyasis, he demanded for some food and money from me, I happily handed over few cash and offered food too!! It might be some dues pending from my side in last life it seems! Thats how I think!! In this world of crores of population, only few souls are actually part of your life, the same souls are linked to you in past life as well, the only purpose of each one is to take you to the state of zero thoughts, no ambitions, no goals and no purpose. It might happen for you in this life or it may take thousand of life before you dissolve your "I" and become one with the divine.
Post my visit, we drive back to the hotel, room was chilled and temperature was getting below zero degrees in the night. I wrapped my dinner early and next day morning started my journey back to pokhra via chartered plane!!
Muktinath visit was an unforgettable journey for a spiritual seeker like me..
Note:- For travelling to Muktinath, Jomsom is the best route via flight from Pokhara. For any information on Muktinath, please connect me at mangesh.pawar@vdoo-travel.in
Om namo bhagvate vasudevaya! ( Salutations to Lord Vishnu)
Swami Vivekananda has once said "I worship all the gods and respect all the religions; I love all the humans who worship god in different forms".. wise men have always put forward this thought in front of the world. Supreme consciousness has nothing to do with religions, sects and rituals. Muktinath is one of those places where Hindus and Tibetian/Himalayan Buddhists have always came together to celebrate the divinity. The monks and the priests both worship at this place in accordance to their rituals and faiths.
The main shrine at Muktinath is a small, three-tiered, pagoda-style temple containing a life-size statue of Vishnu, venerated by Hindus as Shri Muktinarayana and by Buddhists as Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The main idol is flanked by bronze statues of the Hindu goddesses Lakshmi (wealth) and Saraswati (knowledge). There are also three smaller metal statues of the Buddhist deities Hopagme, Chepagme, and Vajrasattva in front of the statue of Muktinarayana, which were brought here from the nearby Narsingh Gompa for safekeeping. Although historians and researchers trace the origin of Muktinath back around 2,000 years, the present pagoda-style temple was constructed around 1814 and renovated in 1929. The building was again overhauled as recently as 2012.
In Sanskrit, mukti means “liberation” and nath means “lord”: Muktinath therefore means “The God of Salvation.” The name refers to both the main temple and the area as a whole, which is also considered very holy. Hindus also call the region Mukti Kshetra, or “The Place of Salvation,” and believe that a person attains moksha, or freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth, after visiting the holy shrine. Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu in Hinduism) revere Muktinath as one of the Divya Desams (the 108 supreme places) where Lord Vishnu resides. The sacred water that flows in 108 stone spouts at the back of the main temple represents water from all 108 Vaishnava shrines. Similarly, the Tibetan name for Muktinath is Chumig Gyatsa, which means “The Hundred Springs.” For both Tibetan Buddhists and the Himalayan Buddhists of Nepal, it is venerated as one of the 24 places where Guru Rinpoche practiced in the 8th century on his way from India to Tibet, and is a very important place where dakinis (dancing goddesses who are manifestations of energy in space) are said to reside.
It all began with the conclusion of our Panchatatvam (spiritual ) tour of Spanish Travellers in Varanasi. I had already decided to club my Nepal tour with Panchatatvam spiritual tour one month before the departure.The only objective was to visit Muktinath in Mustang Valley and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu! The two abodes of two lords, the creator Lord Shiva and the protector Lord Vishnu.
Mukitnath as the word itslelf means lord of mukti or moksh ( liberation)!! Its this place where all the cycles of life and death stops and you eventually dissolve into the ultimate supreme, only human body has that kind of possibility beyond survival to reach supreme! It is located in Muktinath valley at the foothills of Thorong La mountain pass near Mustang. To reach Muktinath , flights are available from Pokhara, one of the busiest town in Nepal. Mustang is very popular place for trekkers and you will find herds of trekkers travelling to Mustang Valley.
So I landed at Jomsom airport by small chartered plane from pokhara. It was fantastic flight flying through the snow mountains of Annapurna circuit and Dhawalagiri range. Never ever experienced such sight before, the vapours coming out the snow mountains and the clouds around were simply majestic and you can just imagine how lord Shiva would have meditated in Kailasa, I was not sure whether I was watching it in real or was it an imagination of painter putting his brush in the form colours on piece of paper!! Within 30 mins of flight, we landed in Jomsom, tinest of the airports, quick checkout and I was out on the street of the Jomsom. Winds were too strong and cold waves were hitting hard. I quickly walked towards the hotel planned. Happened to meet few locals on the way to hotel.
On reaching to the hotel, I was offered cup of tea, I was actually needed one in that cold climate.
I happened to meet one of the maharashtrian group from Pune with whom I was clubbed to visit Muktinath! I didnt want to reveal my identity to anyone, I just wanted to visit Muktinath as life itself without any identity. Permitts are required to visit Muktinath before arrival,any travel company in Nepal would get it done for you. Drive was around 25 kms drive through terrains, empty road, hilly regions and across the kaligandki river ( river which is black in colour and full of shaligrams ( stone which is symbol of Lord Vishnu and used to worship Lord Vishnu)).
After a drive of around 1.5 hours, we happen to reach at the drop point of Muktinath, from there it was a walk of around 1 hour to the peak. So I started moving towards the temple, it was magnificient walk through small houses, coffee shops, tea stalls, hotels and food joints.
While climbing the steps, I reached at the main gate of the temple.
From there onwards , I started climbing the stairs, in between I met many sadhus, sanyasis and holy men. While reaching towards the final steps, I saw beautiful flow of water stream making soothing affect and was moving parallely to the stair case overall making the atmosphere more mesmerizing. Finally after taking the last step, I reached at the main entrance of temple were two hot water ponds where devotees were taking bath and the back of the temple there 108 bull faces from where the sacred water flows, devotees takes bath first before entering for darshan ( visit).
If you observe this pagoda style temple,it is not as grand as we see in the most southern part of India, say Turipathi or Padnabhanswamy temple, but yes it is the most powerful place! Grandness is for eyes, simplicity is the way of life...
Something was mystic about this entire atmosphere, you can say due to the climate or due to the purity of the air or due to the rituals around, divinity was at the peak. Hindus and Buddhists believes that this is the purest place on earth where the five elements ( earth, air, water,sky,fire) are in best sync with each other.The state of mind was not the same for me, I was completely absorbed in the divine love and it was enchanting as a whole.I happen to take a seat at the back of the temple and meditate for long. I simply closed my eyes and got into a state which cant be expressed in words. I dont know how much time I was sitting, but yes it was more than hour in which I completely lost myself. When I open my eyes I saw few people clicking my pictures, it was strange situation and I completely took control of it and moved from that place to the entrace of the shrine.
Muktinath is one of the eight most sacred places of Vaishnavas sect. The others are Badrinath, Pushkar,Srirangam, Srimushnam,Thotadri,Tirupati,Naimisharanya. It is also one of 108 shaktipeeths where Sati devi Forehead was fallen at this place. This place has dual importance!! Dont miss it!!
Little more steps above Muktinath and you have Tibetian buddhist monastery , the silence at this place would pierce your heart. Stillness around will make you more still and will not allow you to move unless divine tells you to do so. I was sitting at this place for couple of hours observing the mountains, feeling the air and relaxing around. You will eventually realise that all your struggle in your life is just an illusion, nothing belongs to you nor you belong to anyone. We always try to relate ourselves with things, thoughts, people, places and what not! Just try to feel life as it is, things would gradually change..
After few hours of stay, I started my journey back towards the bus halt. In between, I happen to meet one of the sanyasis, he demanded for some food and money from me, I happily handed over few cash and offered food too!! It might be some dues pending from my side in last life it seems! Thats how I think!! In this world of crores of population, only few souls are actually part of your life, the same souls are linked to you in past life as well, the only purpose of each one is to take you to the state of zero thoughts, no ambitions, no goals and no purpose. It might happen for you in this life or it may take thousand of life before you dissolve your "I" and become one with the divine.
Post my visit, we drive back to the hotel, room was chilled and temperature was getting below zero degrees in the night. I wrapped my dinner early and next day morning started my journey back to pokhra via chartered plane!!
Muktinath visit was an unforgettable journey for a spiritual seeker like me..
Note:- For travelling to Muktinath, Jomsom is the best route via flight from Pokhara. For any information on Muktinath, please connect me at mangesh.pawar@vdoo-travel.in
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