Manakamana Temple Tour

Manakamana Temple is a temple dedicated to Goddess Bhagawati, one of the reincarnations of Goddess Parvati. The word Mana means ‘heart’ and Kamana means ‘to wish’. It is believed that one can fulfill their wishes by worshipping in this temple. The temple is situated in Gorkha district about 140 km southwest of Kathmandu. The temple sits on a mountain ridge at an altitude of 1302m. A scenic cable car ride directly takes you to the top to the temple from Kurintar, the nearest point on Prithivi Highway. The temple is an impressive built in Pagoda style and is surrounded by hills covered with magnolia and birch forests. The temple is particularly vibrant during the festivals of Dashain (Sep-Oct) and Nag Panchami (July-August) when devotees make animal sacrifices. Visitors can enjoy beautiful views of Annapurna and Manaslu Himalayan ranges from the temple. The legend of Manakamana Goddess dates back to the reign of the Gorkha king Ram Shah during the 17th century. It is said that his queen possessed divine powers, which only her devotee Lakhan Thapa knew about. One day, the king witnessed his queen in Goddess incarnation and Lakhan Thapa in the figure of a lion. Upon mentioning the revelation to his queen, a mysterious death befell the king. As per the custom the queen committed SATI (ritual immolation) on her husband’s funeral pyre. Before her sati the queen had assured Lakhan Thapa that she would reappear in the near future. Six months later, a farmer while ploughing his fields cleaved a stone. From the stone he saw a stream of blood and milk flow. When Lakhan heard an account of this event, he immediately started performing Hindu tantric rituals at the site where the stone had been discovered thus ceasing the flow of blood and milk. The site became the foundation of the present shrine. According to tradition, the priest at the temple must be a descendent of Lakhan Thapa.