Muktinath

Muktinath is a Vishnu temple, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, located in the Muktinath Valley at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang, Nepal. It is one of the world’s highest temples (3,800 m). In Hinduism, it is one of the 108 Divya Desams and the only Divya Desam located outside India. But Muktinath considered as a temple of the purely Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara until the middle of the eighteenth century. After Jumli Raja occupied Mustang’s Thini, he encroached on the same Buddhist shrine and worshiped his idol. After King Malebamba sat on the throne of Parbat, Jumla taken with his help and again considered as the temple of Avalokiteshvara. Muktinath finally Hinduized after Bahadur Shah even waved Mustang.^[1] This Temple also known as Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the ‘liberation arena’ (moksha) and is one of the Char Dham in Nepal.^[2]

This temple considered to be the 106th of the 108 Divya Desam and also considered sacred by the Sri Vaishnava sect. Its ancient name in Sri Vaishnava literature is Tiru Shaligramam. The Gandaki river, which flows nearby, also considered as the only source of the shaligrama shila, the non-anthropomorphic representation of Vishnu.

Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means “Hundred Waters”. For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath is also an important place for dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers, and one of the 24 Tantric places. They understand the murti to be a manifestation of Avalokiteśvara, who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas.^[3]

The site is close to the village of Ranipauwa, which sometimes mistakenly called Muktinath.

Legend

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition states that Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, meditated at Muktinath on his way to Tibet. This temple had praised from many saints of the Hindu tradition. Scripts narrating the temple’s importance are available in the Vishnu Purana with the Gandaki Mahatmya.^{[clarification needed]}

The waterway downstream from Muktinath along Kali Gandaki is also the source of the shilas or shaligramas that requires to establish a temple of Vishnu. It is considered one of the holiest places of pilgrimage for Hindus and Buddhists.

It has 108 water springs, a number that carries great significance in Hindu philosophy. As an example of the mystery surrounding the number 108, Hindu astrology also mentions 12 zodiacs (rashi) and nine planets (navagraha), giving a total of 108 combinations. The 27 lunar mansions (nakshatras) are divided into four quarters (or padas) each giving a combination of 108 padas in total