Manakamana Temple

Hello! Welcome to the Manakamana Temple.

The sacred Manakamana Temple is situated in the holy land of brave Gorkhas, surrounded by the Gandaki, Marsyangdi, and Daraundi rivers from three sides. Located at an altitude of 1500 meters of the highest Mahabharata range and 1,302 meters above sea level, this temple is a place where people’s wishes come true. The temple offers breathtaking views of the Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Ganesh, Manaslu, and Machapuchare Himalayan ranges, which makes people feel like they are in heaven. Surrounded by green forests and fed by rivers, streams, and clean air, the environment here is truly enchanting.

Legends and Story of Manakamana

            According to the legend, Mankamana is considered as the primordial image after the death of Lilavati (Vishnavati), consort of King Ram Shah of Gorkha. According to the legend, like Siddha Gorakhnath, both King Ram Shah and Maharani had divine power and Siddha Lakhan Thapa used to be present while serving them. It is also believed that Gorakhnath, Maharani Lilavati and Siddha Lakhan Thapa used to meet at different places and practice joint power.

            After the untimely demise of King Ram Shah for unknown reasons, Queen Lilavati decided to become Sati by immolating herself in her husband’s pyre. Sati refers to a practice of a widow sacrificing herself after her husband’s death – either on his pyre or separately. There was a practice of Sati Pratha in Nepal until Chandra Shamsher abolished it in 1977 B.S. When Siddha Lakhan Thapa knew about queen’s decision of becoming Sati after her husband’s demise, he said “Whom shall I serve now?” and started sobbing in front of the queen. Right before her departure, the queen assured Siddha Lakhan Thapa by saying, “Have faith, I will give you a visitsoon.”

            After some time, there was a rumor that a local farmer named Dhandeu Gurung in Kafyak Danda while plowing the field got stuck on a rock and when he looked at the rock, he was surprised to see blood and milk flowing from the spot where the rock was struck by the plough. Astonished, he shared this incident among villagers, and as per the instructions of Siddha Lakhan Thapa, who had felt the realization of the divine manifestation of Mata-Manakamana based on the queen’s promise before her demise, he established a shrine at the same spot, and locals started referring to Manakamana as “Mai-Than,” meaning “Mother’s Place.”

            In the Vedic era, the worship of natural, visualized powers as an invincible source was prevalent, and this tradition developed into a form where the imagination of gods and goddess started being dominant and the tales of historical heroes were incorporated into the worship. People, when troubled by various calamities, started seeking solace in the belief of power and started engaging themselves in worshipping the power. Even the kings of Shah Dynasty of Gorkha are believed to have worshipped Shaktipithas to strengthen their kingdom.

            Before King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s conquest of Kathmandu, he had made a vow in Manakamana which he had forgotten due to the war. After a certain time, there was unrest in the village and disturbance in people’s social life which was believed to be an omen of Mata Manakamana’s anger due to Prithivi Narayan Shah’s failure to fulfill his promise made to Mata Manakamana. To settle this unrest and chaos, villagers came to the conclusion of offering human sacrifice to Mata Manakamana. To settle this unrest and for the establishment of peace tantrik gubhajus (Tantrik Gurus/Teachers), through the divine power of Mohini, created a childlike figure and its sacrifice was offered to the goddess. After this sacrificial rites, it is believed to have contributed to bringing tranquility and establishment of peace in the village. As a symbol of establishment of peace after the above mentioned sacrificial rite, special Barshabandhan Puja is conducted from Kartik Sudhi Chaturdashi upto Magh Sudhi Panchami every year.              

            In Manakamana, daily regular worship and twice-yearly Barshabandhan Puja are conducted. The daily worship is carried out by the local Lhayo Thapa Magar, while the barshabandhan Puja is conducted by the Ghubajus (Gurus) of Kathmandu’s Jwabahal and Bajrayani Bajracharya from Buddhist tradition. This Barshabandhan Puja is also referred to as Parva Puja. Currently, the Guthiyars and Guthi Sansthan of Manakamana manage the organization of the Barshabandhan Puja.

Structure of the Temple

            At some point, a long time ago, worship of a stone as Mai-Than in the vicinity of a forest as a form of Goddess Deurali or Bandurga used to be practiced. However, today’s Mankamana temple complex fascinates everyone. In the year 2075 (2018 AD), the temple was renovated with windows, doors and tundals carved in wooden architectural style. Likewise, the walls were built with clay bricks connected with lime and addition of about nineteen kilograms of gold (molamwaa) has brightened and enhanced the temple’s ambiance.

            This two storey Manakamana Temple with golden roof and Gajur (pinnacle) is under a tall Sunakhari Champak tree of about 250 years old. This two storey Pagoda styled Manakamana temple, with its height of about 13 meters, is constructed of brick, stone, bajra (a mixture of lime, surki and sand) along with artistic Agrakha wood. Bakeshwar temple and Mankamana temple are also included in the list of temples built during the reign of Prithvipati Shah, about 350 years ago. The temple is 7 meters long and 7 meters wide, and the exterior of this temple is made of dachi and the interior is made of ordinary brick.

            The entrance of the temple is attractive with gold leaf. Likewise, there is an inscription of Surbir Rana of 1859 B.S. On the Aankhijyal of both sides of the door, there are figures of skeletons and Shivagans (Soldiers of Lord Shiva). Likewise, there are idols of Ganesh and Kumar on the right and left of the door and the goddess above. Above the goddess is a pylon with Ashtamatrika, Garuda, Naga, Pari, etc. The temple has windows on three sides (east, west and north) and has a door on the south. This temple, with its unique architecture and significance as a place where wishes come true, is well-known both nationally and internationally.

Connection with Machhindranath

            Just as Manakamana, Gorakhnath, and Ghubaju have been related above, similar connections are also established with Machhindranath in Kathmandu’s Newar community. These narratives tell us that, during the reign of the Lichchhavi King Narendra Dev, Siddha Gorakhnath resided divinely in his palace premises in Kathmandu, with all the serpents under his command and sat in divine meditation, so it did not rain for twelve years. After there was no way to break Gorakhnath’s meditation, his Guru Machhindranath was brought to Kathmandu from Assam by a Tantric Guvaju as well as Buddhist Bajracharya.

            When he knew that Machhindranath had arrived, his meditation was distracted and the snakes were able to escape, so there was rainfall in Kathmandu and thus, he is considered as the god of rain as well as the god of food crops. While bringing him to Kathmandu, he was brought along with an urn of Sankata so that he does not have to face any problems on the way. After knowing that the temple was built for Machhindranath, Sankata did not want to go back and thus Sankata was also kept on the top floor of the same temple.

            In Kathmandu, the temple of Sankata and Karunamaya is the same. The statue of Karunamaya is placed on the lower floor and the statue of Sankata is placed on the upper floor. As the temple of Sankata in Kathmandu is famous, it witnesses a large number of devotees. Since the time of Machhindranath, who has a connection with Manakamana, Sankata, and Siddha Gorakhnath, the Newar community of Kathmandu has been faithfully worshipping these shaktipeeths, which has led to the perception of Manakamana as a goddess of immense power. Presently, Manakamana has become a center of devotion for people from all over the country and sometimes even for the devotees from neighboring India, establishing itself as a symbol of their faith.

Faith upon Manakamana

            The name of the goddess, Manakamana, signifies fulfilling the desires of the heart. This is the first reason Manakamana Bhagwati has become a significant center of devotion for many followers. Manakamana, the goddess that fulfills one’s heart’s desire, is not religious blindness. Faith is not weighed based on rewards and evidence, but the fulfillment of one’s desires of the heart by the grace of the goddess must have been coupled with the efforts and deeds of the diligent devotees as well. Furthermore, it is said that the devotees who come to visit Mankamana come again and again after coming once.

            Another reason is the geographical beauty of the place where Mankamana Bhagwati is located, giving the feeling that the abode of Aradhyadevi was somewhere here and still is. The pleasant climate with open mountains surrounding this land from all four sides, the warm sunrise in the morning during the winter season and the constant cool breeze blowing in the summer months are the characteristics of this blessed land. The worship method of Mankamana temple is also satisfying to the devotees.

            The worship methodology at all goddess temples involves lighting the dhup, battis, providing Prasad offerings, flowers, and vermilion, but in Manakamana, the priests understand your devotion and performs the puja accordingly. If you have promised any bhakal (vow), then the priest performs puja here after asking your gotra (clan) and reciting mantras and making a resolution and worshiping. This will make you forget all the pain and suffering of standing in line for hours and you will feel as if your wishes and desires have been fulfilled.

Other Attractions

            Mankamana Darshan Pvt. Ltd. is the first Cable Car in Nepal. Even though Cable Car is just the means of transportation but it is unique as it is connected with Manakamana Mata’s Darshan. Many Nepalese wish to experience the cable car ride to Manakamana at least once due to its convenience and the special opportunity it offers to witness the divine presence of the goddess situated at such a high altitude.

            Manakamana Darshan feels even more fulfilling if you can see the ecological beauty of the Siddha Lakhan cave on the northeast side of Mankamana, forest walks, the Himalayan range of the Gandaki Himalayan range, Gorkhakalika temple, the Ichchakamana Danda on the south side and the lovely forest with summer flowers. This complete experience adds to the significance of visiting Manakamana.

            The Kosheli (gift) of Manakamana for those who are full of faith is the joy at the moment of seeing God (Shila or Murti). Likewise, Manakamana is famous for Orange. The practice of returning with a picture connected with the Manaslu Himal and the Golden Temple of Manakamana is also widespread. Likewise, the practice of taking photos, taking selfies, making tiktoks on the premise of Manakamana temple and uploading them on social networks is on trend. With this, the way of taking vows and offering worships to the goddess by the young devotees has progressed differently.

The Manakamana area serves as a field of karma for those dedicated to their work, a land of charity for the benevolent, a ground of meditation for the seekers, and a land of meditation and liberation for those pursuing spiritual liberation/enlightenment. This region showcases a collection of tangible and intangible assets such as gardens, sculptures, festivals, cultural traditions, both material and immaterial heritage, all of which are valuable for both visual appreciation and conservation. Thus, Manakamana Temple serves not only as a place to fulfill individual wishes, but it has become an important place of pilgrimage to evoke the sense of harmony between the souls of people.