A few years ago, Muktinath Temple in Nepal was in the news when India’s PM Mr. Modi paid a visit to this sacred Temple which is a sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang, Nepal.
Muktinath Temple is one of the most famous temples of Nepal and is known as the Mukti Kshetra which literally means the “place of liberation or moksha (liberation)” and is also known as Chumig Gyatsa which in Tibetan means “Hundred Waters”.
The temple is also one of the 51 Shakti Peeth. Aside from the main temple, there is momentous conjunction of other Hindu temples (Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha) and numerous petition haggles (stupas) in a typical religious stage.
The Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa, which means “Hundred Waters”. Although the temple has a Vaishnav origin, it is also revered in Buddhism because guru Padmasambhava meditated there for some time. For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath is a very important place of dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers, and one of the 24 Tantrik places. They understand the murti to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas.
It is located at the lap of snow-capped mountains at Thorong-La mountain pass at an altitude of 3710 meters above sea level in the Mustang district of Nepal.
This temple is covered in one of the famous trekking routes of the Annapurna Circuit. A number of temple tour packages are available in Nepal, and the one I used was with Hiking Adventure Trek Pvt. Ltd. HATPL is one of the best tourist agencies in Kathmandu Nepal and I recommend it for every person on a pilgrimage to Nepal.
The package given to me for Muktinath Temple Tour combined visits to various popular temples in Nepal, namely, Pashupatinath Temple, Manokamna Temple, Muktinath Temple, and other Temples during sightseeing in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
There are many ways to visit Muktinath Temple-
By Road
7-8 Hours Drive to Beni from Kathmandu (306 KM) and then a 6-7 hours drive to Muktinath from Beni.
By Trekking
6-7 hours Drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu and the Drive to Nayapul from Pokhara – 1 hr & trek to Tikhedunga. Similarly night stay at Ghorepani, Tatopani, Ghasa, Marpha, Kagbeni then Muktinath. Average walking 6-7 hrs.
By Flight
You can go to Muktinath Temple by Flight going Pokhara from Kathmandu (25 mins. Fly time). Then Pokhara to Jomson (20 mins. Fly time) and a 1-hour drive to Muktinath from Jomson.
By Helicopter
You can go to Muktinath Temple from Kathmandu by Helicopter. It takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach there.
The best time to visit is the months of March, April, May, September (mid), October, and November. During these months the weather is clear and once also enjoys the day view of snow-capped mountains all around.
Foreigners coming for this tour, need to take two travel permits before visiting Muktinath Temple. The first one is ACAP- Annapurna Conservation Area Project Permit. You can get this permit from Nepal Tourism Board located at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, or at Pokhara, and the second one is TIMS – Trekker’s Information Management System Permit. You can get this permit can be from TAAN located at Saatghumti, Thamel, and another at Mali Gaun, Kathmandu, or at Pokhara.
So friends, book your tour with Hiking Adventure Trek Pvt. Ltd., pack your bags and take your Aarti Thalis along with you and get blessed.