PASHUPATI

town, central Nepal, situated in the Kathmandu Valley on the Baghmati River, just east of Kathmandu. Regarded as the holiest place in Nepal, it is the site of an ancient Saivite (i.e., devoted to the Hindu god Siva) temple of Pasupatinatha (Pashupatinath). The temple is built in pagoda style with gilt roof, and the banks of the Baghmati are paved for several hundred yards. There are numerous other shrines in the vicinity. The Sivaratri festival in February or early March attracts Hindu pilgrims from India and other foreign countries. Pious Hindus also go there to die, believing that they will find salvation if they expire with their feet in the sacred waters of the river at Pashupati.