Muktinath
High Altitude Temple Sacred To Both Hindus And Buddhists; One Of The 108 Divya Desams Of Vaishnava Hinduism · Ranipauwa, Gandaki
Muktinath is a temple complex at about 3,800 metres below the Thorong La in Mustang, and it is one of the few places in the world held equally sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. For Hindus it is a temple of Vishnu, one of the 108 Divya Desams of the Vaishnava tradition, and a place of liberation; for Tibetan Buddhists it is Chumig Gyatsa, the Hundred Waters, associated with Guru Rinpoche. Pilgrims bathe under the 108 bull-headed water spouts behind the pagoda-roofed temple, fed by freezing mountain water, and plunge through two icy pools. Nearby, in the Jwala Mai shrine, a small natural gas flame burns beside running water, the fire and water that both faiths revere. Many Indian pilgrims arrive every season by flight to Jomsom and then jeep, often for a single day, while trekkers reach it on foot as they come down from the Thorong La on the Annapurna Circuit. The black ammonite fossils called shaligram, found in the Kali Gandaki below, are sacred to Vishnu and sold everywhere. The altitude catches out pilgrims who fly straight up from the plains.
Muktinath, Ranipauwa, Mustang District, Ranipauwa, Gandaki, Nepal
The temple is open daily during daylight hours; there is no ticket, and small donations are customary. Muktinath is reached by jeep from Jomsom, about an hour, or on foot from the Thorong La. Jomsom flights from Pokhara are weather dependent. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit applies to foreigners.