Lord Shiva is said to be living among us, on the top of the holy Kailash Mountain with his wife Goddess Parvati. Pilgrims from around the world indulge in the Kailash Mansarovar yatra every year to come and visit the holy place. Lord Shiva is one of the major deities to be worshipped by almost all the Hindus in India and abroad. The temples and shrines created and developed for him are spread across the globe.
Today we are going to list down the top 5 destinations with relevance to Lord Shiva around India.
Mount Kailash, Tibet
Known as the abode of Lord Shiva, the most interesting thing about Mount Kailash is that it is worshipped not just by Hindus, but by Jains, Buddhists and Bon Tons as well. At an elevation of 22,000 feet, the holiest of the holy mountains is visited by hundreds of pilgrims every year through Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The journey to and around the mountain is said to be highly religious with lots of adventure inclined within. People of all ages, from the early twenties to late sixties, are allowed to be a part of this incredibly memorable journey.
Shree Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal
Pashupatinath means the ‘Lord of Animals’ or the ‘Lord of all living beings’. This temple is the largest temple complex situated in Nepal and stretches on both sides of the Bagmati River, considered holy by all Hindus. The architecture of the temple is of Nepalese pagoda style with a glided roof, four faces covered in silver and exquisite wood carvings. Maha Shivaratri festival in spring attracts thousands of devotees from within Nepal and from India.
Munneswaram Temple, Sri Lanka
This temple exists since the time of the Hindu epic Ramayana and is situated in Sri Lanka. The legend goes that Lord Ram prayed to Shiva here after defeating Ravana. The premises of the Munneswaram temple consists of five temples, with the one dedicated to Lord Shiva being the central and the biggest one. This temple is very famous among the various tourists coming here and even the locals.
Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple, Bangladesh
The Bhubaneshwar Shiva Mandir, also known as Pancha Ratna Shiva Temple due to its architectural style, is the largest temple of Lord Shiva in Bangladesh. The arched corridors of the temple looking towards the beautiful pond called Shiva Sagar, gives out some interesting photo-ops.
Gokarna Mahadev Temple, Nepal
The legend goes that Lord Shiva was roaming the forests of Gokarna disguised as a deer when the Gods came looking for him. They recognized the deer to be Lord Shiva and captured him by its horns. The horns broke into three pieces and Lord Brahma buried them at a spot on which this legendary temple was built. People visit this temple in memory of their fathers on Gokarna Aunsi (no moon night), happening around September.
These were some of the many shrines and temples dedicated to Lord Shiva situated outside India.