BHAGAWAN PASUPATHINATH OF NEPAL
The Seat of Chaturmukha Siva

THE VANGMATI

The river Vangmati flows through a small gorge between two hills called Mrigasthali and Kailas. The. story goes that Lord Maheswar, swept off by the unearthly beauty of the thickly wooded hillock - Mrigasthali started roaming about in the form of a deer and enjoying, leaping, hopping, running and what not. Down below the gorge ere are lights o steps. hey are made convenient or holy bath in the river Vangmati and the visitors use them for offering pindas to their manes here. In addition, there are several halls and rooms built on the bank for the convenience of the pious devotees; for, it is believed that if the dead are cremated on this sacred ghat, they are freed once for all from the vicious cycle of births and deaths. So not only the dead bodies are carried to this ghat, but people on the verge of death are also brought and kept waiting till they breathe their last. Some of the bodies are thrown into the flowing river also. Both high and low have full faith in this, and cremation there is deemed as a great privilege and honour to the dead are dying, as exemplified by bringing of king Mahendra's body to this place for cremation from Switzerland after death here. And his last rites were observed here, odd it is to hear that they are two types of ghats - one for royalty and another for commonalty. In this it exceeded that renowned Manikarnika ghat of Varanasi in orthodoxy. Well! If Kings will, any thing is possible!

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