Nepal is the country with several famous ancient pilgrimage sites. Visitors can see temples during the sightseeing tour in Kathmandu, in the Kathmandu valley or even outside of the valley. Every Hindu or Buddhist temple is attached to some legend, some mythical belief and expresses miraculous super powers of its deity.
Kathmandu and its valley is home of the famous Pashupatinath site, the Swayambhunath site and the Boudhanath site with the large Buddhist stupa. There are more than hundreds Hindu and Buddhist temples located around the Kathmandu Valley. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Pashupatinath, is the holiest Hindu religion destination in Nepal. The Swayambhunath Monley Temple and the Boudhanath Stupa, as well as the Ashokan stupas in Patan, are for Buddhist people to visit.
Some other famous holy pilgrimage sites are namely, Pashupatichhetra, Muktichhetra or Muktinath for the Lord Vishnu temple, Janakpurdham for the Lord Rama and Sita, Barhachhetra, and for the Narayan , Shesh Narayan, Ichankhu Narayan, Bishankhu Narayan and Changu Narayan. These are in the Kathmandu valley.
On the other hand, outside of the Kathmandu valley, there are other Hindu sites, namely the Barahi and Bindabasimi temples and the Gupteswor cave in Pokhara located in the Western region of Nepal. In the Eastern part of Nepal, the devoted sites for both Hindu and Buddhist people includes Halesi Mahadev, Godess Pathivara, Manokamana, Gorkha, Lumbini, Gosainkunda
Among all these sites, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, Changu Narayan and Buddha birthplace Lumbini are listed in the UNESCO Heritage Sites since 1979.
Furthermore, Nepal can be considered as one of the gateway to the holy Mt. Kailash in Tibet and to the holy lake Mansarovar, the mythical abode of the Hindu Lord Shiva and Parvati. To offer their homage to these god and goddess, many religious people or devotees come to their temples from different places of Nepal and India at the occasion of special ceremonies and festivals. But not only, as to visit the Hindu Shiva Temple, many people come from Bangladesh and from other foreign countries like France, Russia, USA etc. Touring in these holy places, represents a lifetime memorable experience, also to see nature and culture in the visited region.
