1. Palanchowk Bhagwati
Located 56 kilometers east of Kathmandu valley on a hilltop at an altitude of 5125 feet from sea level, this historic Palanchok Bhagwati temple and is accessible through the Arniko highway. After Panchkhal, at a small settlement called Lamidanda the road diverges uphill for 9 kilometers to the temple.
Just few minutes’ walk from the main Temple of Bhagwati we can find another temple of Goddess Kali- The Kalika Temple here the statue of Kali is placed in an inverted position. It is also believd that she is the elder sister to Palanchok Bhagwati. Same way Palanchowk Bhagwati is elder sister to Sobha Bhagwati, and Naxal Bhagwati
We can find people worshipping her in three different incarnations, in the morning as Goddess Bhagwati / Durga -Savior of humanity from evil and misery, in the daytime the as Goddess Saraswoti- Goddess of Learning and Wisdom, and in the evening as Goddess Kali- The terrible Destructor.
2. Bajra Barahi
Located just 8 kilometers from Lalitpur Bajra Barahi Temple is surrounded by a huge forest. The Area of Bajra Barahi is very favorable place for picnics and bird watching. A wide variety of birds and around 166 varieties of flora including rare orchids and 48 different varieties of birds are found. There is a famous belief in the local farmers that if they offer the first milk from their buffalos after they have given birth to Goddess Bajrabarahi then their buffalos will get pregnant every year and give lots of milk.
It was built by Shrinewas Malla in 784 BS in the month of Chaitra. It is believed that Shree Bajrabarahi Goddess was incarnated from the pond and later a temple was built on the same place where the pond was. On the left and the right side of the idol of Goddess Bajra barahi, Statue of Navadevta has been set along with Mahadev. The specialty of the temple is this that the temple does not have a Gajur on the top of the temple; it is believed that the night before the gajur was to be set, the priest of the temple saw a nightmare where any one setting the Gajur will die .
3. Bhairav
God Bhairav is worshipped by all Hindus and especially by Newars. In all the traditional settlements of Newars at least a temple of Bhairava is found. Also most temples of Bhairav in Nepal are maintained by Newar priests. There are several Bhairav temples in the Kathmandu valley. Few of them are:
- Akash Bhairav
- Kala Bhairav
- Swet Bhairav
- Shanta Bhairav
- Kirtimukha Bhairav
- Unmukta Bhairav
- Bagh Bhairav
- Batuk Bhairav
4. Janaki Mandir
Located at the heart of Janakpur, this hindu Temple is dedicated to goddess Sita. Daughter of King Janak ruler of Janakpur, Sita was the Wife of God Ram. It is believed that it is built exactly where God Ram and Sita got married. Marriage anniversary of Ram and Sita is observed every year here through a festival which is also observed throughout Nepal
Janaki Mandir is an excellent example of ‘Hindu-Rajput’ architecture. This is considered as the most important model of the Rajput architecture in Nepal. The temple is also called Nau Lakha Mandir as it is said that it was built by Queen Brisabhanu Kunwari of Tikamgarh from central India in AD 1911, at a cost of 9 Lakh rupees.
5. Muktinath
Located in Muktinath Valley at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass (part of the Himalayas), Mustang district, Nepal. The waterway downstream from Muktinath along Kali Gandaki is the source of all Silas also known as Shaligrams that are required to establish a temple of Vishnu anywhere in the world. It is considered to be one of the holiest places of pilgrimage of Hindus, Buddhists, and Vaishnavas
The idol of Lord Vishnu is of gold and is tall enough to compare with a man. In the outer courtyard 108 bull faces are found through which water is poured. The sacred water that flows in 108 pipes around the temple area denotes all sacred Pushkarini waters, where the devotees take their sacred bath even in the freezing temperatures.
The Hindus call the sacred place Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the “place of salvation”. Mainly the temple is with a predominant Sri Vaishnava origin and worshipped by Buddhists. The ancient name of this place, before Buddhist origin is known as Thiru Saligramam. The worship is conducted by Buddhist nuns.
6. Gosaikunda
Gosain Kunda is an alpine freshwater oligotrophic lake in Nepal’s Langtang National Park, located at an altitude of 4,380 m (14,370 ft) above sea level in the Rasuwa District with a surface of 13.8 ha (34 acres). Together with associated lakes, the Gosaikunda Lake complex is 1,030 ha (4.0 sq mi) in size. The lake melts and slips down to form the Trishuli River and remains frozen for six months in winter October to June. There are 108 lakes in this area, small to medium in size. The challenging Lauribina La pass at an altitude of 4,610 m (15,120 ft) is on its outskirts.
According to Hindu mythology Gosaikunda was the residence of Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri. Also there is story stating when Lord Shiva drank the Poison obtained from Samudra Manthan to quench his thirst he created the kunda by hitting it with his Trishul. Thus the holy waters are considered of particular significance during Gangadashahara and the sacred thread festival Janai Purnima when thousands of pilgrims from Nepal and India visit the area.
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