SSC
The famous Pashupatinath Temple is located in:
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Answer: Option C — Nepal
Detailed Solution
The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located on the banks of the Bagmati river in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
About the Pashupatinath Temple:
- It is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of "Pashupati", meaning "Lord of all animals" (or of all living beings).
- It is one of the most sacred Hindu temples in the world and an important pilgrimage site for Hindus from Nepal and India.
Its origin is very old; the temple existed by the 5th century CE, according to inscriptions. The present main temple was rebuilt in the late 17th century, during the reign of King Bhupatindra Malla, after the earlier one was damaged by termites.
It is built in the Nepalese "pagoda" style, with a two-tiered golden roof, and four silver-plated main doors.
Its sanctum has a four-faced (Chaturmukha) Shiva lingam.
Only Hindus are allowed to enter the main temple courtyard.
The priests (called "Bhattas") of the main temple have traditionally been from South India, especially Karnataka, a tradition said to have been started by Adi Shankaracharya.
The Arya Ghat along the Bagmati river is used for Hindu cremations.
It is part of the "Kathmandu Valley" UNESCO World Heritage Site (1979), along with Boudhanath, the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and the Changu Narayan Temple.
It survived the earthquake of April 2015, which damaged many other monuments in the valley.
"Maha Shivaratri" is celebrated here with great devotion; lakhs of pilgrims and many sadhus visit.
India and Nepal:
- They share an open border of about 1,750 km.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Pashupatinath several times; India funded a "Dharamshala" (pilgrim rest house) near the temple, inaugurated in 2018.
- India and Nepal also have the "Ramayana Circuit" linking Janakpur (Nepal, birthplace of Sita) and Ayodhya.
Other important places in Nepal:
- Lumbini: the birthplace of Gautama Buddha; a UNESCO site.
- Janakpur: associated with Sita and King Janaka.
- Muktinath: a sacred site for Hindus and Buddhists.
- Kedarnath in Uttarakhand and Pashupatinath are considered a pair; together, the two are said to form a complete form of Shiva.
Why not the other options?
- ✗India has many Shiva temples, but Pashupatinath is in Nepal (there is also a Pashupatinath Temple in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, but the famous one is in Kathmandu).
- ✗Bhutan is a Buddhist country.
- ✗Tibet has Buddhist monasteries such as the Jokhang and Potala.
Quick tip
Remember: Pashupatinath Temple = Kathmandu, Nepal (Shiva as "Lord of animals"; on the Bagmati river; pagoda style; part of the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO site, 1979); Lumbini = Buddha's birthplace; Janakpur = Sita.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.