Why Muktinath Yatra is a must do religious tour for every Hindu!

There is a great significance of ‘Mukti’ or ‘Salvation’ from the worldly affairs in Hindu religion. The religion specifies several ways of getting salvation and a visit to the famous Muktinath Yatra is one of them! The Temple, also popularly known as Chumig Gyatsa is nestled among the snow covered mountains, at the foot of the Thorong La Mountain Pass based at an altitude of 3710 meters. Muktinath Tour forms a part of the famous Annapurna Circuit Trekking Route and is also regarded as a popular tourist destination.

The term ‘Muktinath’ splits to ‘Mukti’ meaning ‘Moksha’ or ‘Salvation’ and ‘Nath’ meaning ‘Lord’. Thus, the temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, known as the Lord of salvation. Several thousands of Hindus visit the temple every year in search of salvation or to free them of the vicious cycle of birth and death.

There are several reasons behind the religious significance of the Muktinath Tour to the Hindus. As per the Hindu mythology, it was here that Lord Vishnu got salvation or ‘Mukti’ from the curse of Brinda, the wife of Jalandhar and hence the name, ‘Muktinath’! For the same reason, Lord Vishnu is worshipped as the Lord of salvation, here at the temple. The temple is believed to have been consecrated in as early as the nineteenth century.

According to a popular belief, the holy shrine of the Muktinath Temple had risen on its own. There are a total of eight shrines in all including the one here at the temple. The other seven are Pushkaram, Tirupati, Badrinath, Sri Rangam, Naimisaranyam, Sri Mushnam and Thottadri. All of these hold a great significance for Hindus. It is also regarded as one significant among 108 Vaishnava Shrines. The temple is a small building and the central shrine is a man sized statue, made in gold. A Buddhist Monk conducts the worships while a local nun is responsible for performing all the rituals inside the temple.

The inside of the temple complex has a few major attractions such as the Mukti Kunda, Mukti Dhara, Jwala Mai Temple, and a Buddhist Monastery located in the North of the temple, Mharme Lha Khang Gompa. Mukti Kunda are two holy water ponds that are located right in front of the temple. Taking a holy dip in these ponds is believed to rinse away the sins. They are called the ‘Laxmi Saraswati Kunda’. Then there is Mukti Dhara in the backyard of the temple. These are actually 108 water spouts, carved in stone, in the shape of bull head. Ice cold water from Gandaki river flows out of these water spouts and taking a bath under all of these 108 water spouts is believed to get one salvation. And hence the name, Mukti Dhara!

Another historic thing that has religious significance here is the popular Shaligram stone. Shaligrams are black stones found in river Gandaki; they symbolize Lord Vishnu and are placed and worshipped in the prayer rooms in Hindu homes. As per the Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu turned into a Shaligram when he was cursed by Bindra and thus, the religious significance.

Muktinath Temple is equally recognized by the Buddhists as much as by the Hindus. The Pagoda style structure is often regarded as a religious symbiosis between both the religions. Buddhists call the temple ‘Chumig Gyatsa’ which literally means ‘Hundred waters’ in Tibetan. Muktinath Tour has a special religious significance for Tibetan Buddhists as the temple is regarded as one among the twenty four Tantric places and also a significant place for sky dancers, who are also known as Dakinis.

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