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Hindu Funeral at Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal.
Dozens of Hindu funerals take place every day at Pashupatinath Temple by the Bagmati River in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.
A visit to Pashupatinath Temple is a must for any traveller to Nepal. It’s included in any one-day trip’s itinerary of Kathmandu.
And, if you happen to be there you won’t miss the Hindu funeral ceremonies that occur on a daily basis.
Similarly to any other type of funeral, attending this ceremony is a very sad experience.
Hindu Funeral
The saddest moment of the whole funeral, in my opinion, it’s when the female family members salute the dead for the last time.
Then, the male members take the defunct to the Smashan, the Hindu cremation ground.
They place the body on the funeral pyre and set it on fire.
As my guide explains to me, in Hindu funeral women symbolise birth and they cannot enter to the Smashan area, which instead it symbolises death.
Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath Temple is one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley.
It’s the largest temple complex in Nepal. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, one of the most powerful Hindu deities.
Following there is a collection of photos I captured during my visit to Nepal. I hope you may find it interesting.












For more photos about Nepal visit my page Nepal on this site. You may also want to check my Travel page.
Further reading:
- After Nepal quake, river burns with Hindu funeral pyres almost around the clock (by Julie Makinen @Julie_Makinen – LA Times)
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