Muktinath

Muktinath, a sacred place both for Hindus as well as Buddhists, is located at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass (part of the Himalayas) , Mustang district, Kingdom of Nepal. The Hindus call the place Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the "place of salvation", while the Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means 'Hundred Waters'. For Tibetan Buddhists Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa is a place of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers. It is of great importance for Buddhists that Chumig Gyatsa is one of the 24 Tantric places.



The shrine of Muktinath is considered one of the eight most sacred shrines for Hindu Vashanavites known as Svayam Vyakta Ksetras, the other seven being Srirangam, Sri Mushnam, Tirupati, Naimisaranyam, Thottadri, Pushkaram and Badrinath. The temple is very small. Muktinath is one of the most ancient Hindu temples of God Vishnu. Many people also claim the shrine to be a Buddhist shrine. The idol is of gold and is tall enough to compare with a man. The prakaram has 108 bull faces through which water is poured. It is freezing temperature. There is an Old Buddhist monk present in the temple.