LAND OF MYTHS AND WONDERS – Hindu Pilgrimage Tour - 09 Days

Welcome to the city of temples. Kathmandu is filled with temples and religious shrines in every corner which gives you an idea, how religious Nepali people are. After claiming your luggage look for the signage of Access Nepal with your name on it just outside the arrival hall. Our representative will escort you to the hotel and help you in checking-in. You will be briefed about the whole program with important safety briefing as well. In the evening we will have a complimentary welcome dinner in a nice cozy Nepali restaurant enjoying the cultural show.

We will start the sightseeing by visiting the 2nd holiest temple in the whole of Asia, Pashupatinath. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the incarnation form of God Pashupatinath (God of Animals). It is believed that the temple stands on the land where a piece of horn was buried which was broken from the head of Shiva during the struggle between Shiva and Vishnu. Pashupatinath also banks Bagmati River, a holy river that cleanses the people who bath in it spiritually. You can also see the cremation area in the riverbank which is an offbeat experience. Budhanilkantha, a holy temple of Lord Vishnu lies only an hour’s drive from Pashupati. 5 meters tall statue carved in a single block of basalt is reclining in the middle of the pool where Vishnu is sleeping above a mythical serpent, Sheesha. One of the major temples of Vishnu, Budhanilkantha holds a significant religious value. Then we will drive to Kathmandu Durbar Square. City of Temples, Kathmandu valley is rich in temples and gods/goddesses idols in every corner of the city. In the ancient courtyard, you will be able to witness the religious side of Nepali people as there is fewer buildings than the temples. Taleju Temple, Jagganath temple, Kasthamandap, Kotillengeshwara Mahadev, Mahendraswara, etc are few temples located inside the Durbar square.

After Breakfast, we will drive for an hour to reach Dakshinkali which is a temple of Goddess Kali, a bloodthirst form of Shiva’s wife Parvati. Kali is considered one of the most furious Hindu goddesses who all the gods and goddesses fear. To satisfy their thirst, everyday devotees offer to kill animals like chickens, goat, etc. Then we will drive to one of the oldest ancient cities, Patan which is famous for its beautiful palaces, religious Buddhist and Hindu shrines, and magnificent idols. Krishna Temple, Bhimsen Temple, Vishwanath Temple, Taleju Bhawani, etc are some major religious sites we will be visiting in Patan.

Through the serpentine Prithvi Highway, we will be driving towards Pokhara, a picturesque place famous for the lakes, beautiful mountain views, and peaceful ambiance. On the way, we also will be visiting the Manakamana Temple dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati. The temple has a myth of fulfilling the wishes and prayers of devotees. We will be riding a cable car to reach the top of the hill where the temple is located. After reaching Pokhara, we will go boating in Fewa Lake (The second largest lake in Nepal) to visit a temple situated in the middle of the Lake. Various myth surrounds the Goddess Durga’s temple where some believe the temple was built after the goddess came in a dream of Kaski’s King and some believe the place where the temple stands saved a sole survivor of the village due to his kindness when everyone else lost their lives in a flood.

Early morning we will drive to Pokhara airport and fly to Jomsom. Then we will drive from Jomsom to Muktinath in a private Jeep. One of the holiest Hindu temples in the world, Muktinath is an amazing example of the interrelationship of Buddhism and Hinduism. Despite being the temple of the Hindu God Vishnu, the puja (the act of worshipping) is carried by Buddhist monks, and the temple is taken care of by nuns. One of the Shaktipeetha of Hindus, the temple is also one of the highest temples which is at the height of 3800m. People believe visiting the religious site will wash away the sins they committed. After the excursion to the Muktinath temple, we will drive back to Jomsom for the night.

Early morning we will fly back to Pokhara and then we will visit Bindyabasini Temple. According to the myth, the deity was brought in Pokhara from Bindyanchal, India by King Prithvi Narayan Shah (Founder of modern Nepal) before the unification of Nepal. After the sightseeing, we will drive to Bandipur. Bandipur a trade center for the salt from Tibet and Spices from India, is a small village located in the hill of Tanahun from where you can get the most amazing panoramic view of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesha, and Boudha Himal. Besides the view, Bandipur is also famous for the heritage market that has been preserved beautifully by the locals.

After breakfast, we will drive back to Kathmandu. Today we will be staying in Nagarkot instead of Kathmandu, a small hill station in Kathmandu filled with pine forest and peaceful ambiance. Nagarkot is also famous for the view of mountains, rural Nepal, and probably the best sunrise views from Kathmandu. We will take short walks around the forest and spend the evening watching the sunset from the Hotel.

The sunrise view from Nagarkot is just heartwarming. We will wake up early to see the magnificent sunrise shining upon the panoramic view of the Himalayas. After our breakfast, we will hike/drive towards Chanunarayan temple. the oldest temple of Nepal. Legend has it, that Lord Vishnu was cursed for wrongdoing and trapped as a tree in the Champak forest where a Brahmin (Priest) and a shepherd tried to cut it down. In the process, the tree began to bleed and Vishnu was freed from the curse. Then the temple was built in that place where still the bloodline of the priest was chosen as the main priest of the temple and the bloodline of the shepherd was chosen as the head of the temple trust. Bhaktapur, the “City of Devotees” is another ancient palace courtyard where you can see the temples and shrines in every corner. Natyapola, Taleju Bhawani Temple, Mini Pashupatinath, Vatsala Temple, Bhairabanath Temple, etc are few religious sites besides the magnificent historical monuments are architect depleting the Nepali art and culture.

We will drive back to Kathmandu after the sightseeing, wherein in the evening we will have a complimentary Farwell dinner in a fine restaurant to celebrate the amazing trip of Heavenly Nepal.

3 hours prior to your scheduled flight, our representative will escort you to the Tribhuvan International Airport. We hope to meet you again on your next adventure.

Overnight N/A (Breakfast Included)