The climate of Nepal varies according to Topography and its altitude which ranges from Tropical to the Arctic.

Monsoon

The most preferred season to trek in the rain shaded areas including Upper Manang, Manaslu, Upper Mustang which is around Annapurna, and Upper Dolpo, etc. These are the regions which are in less contact with rain clouds due to the presence of huge mountains in such areas and are very less affected by the monsoon season. If you are a botanist or a forest researcher then summer is the best season to plan your Muktinath visit. However, you are strictly advised to carry insect repellents and trekking raincoat along with you.  However, due to rainfall in this season, it is quite difficult to reach Muktinath by road and landslides can hinder your journey. Also, for your information flight from Pokhara to Jomsom generally gets canceled due to bad weather.

Winter

December, January, and February are the winter months in Nepal which brings freezing cold in the city and especially in the high altitude regions. Although it is a good time to trek and hike at low altitude regions that are generally below 3500 meters. The entire area of Muktinath gets covered with snow during these months. So, if you planning to visit Muktinath in winter then Muktinath Tour by helicopter is the most preferred and the best option.

Summer

This is the second most preferred time to enjoy trekking in Nepal as the weather is quite moderate and favourable. One gets spellbound with the beautiful views of mountains and especially the blossoming rhododendrons which is the national flower of the country.

Autumn

This is the most favourable and heavily crowded season in Nepal and also the peak season of Nepal Tourism. The climate is neither very cold nor very hot during autumn months. The beautiful view of the clear blue sky as the rainy season washes away the dirt and the pollution of the city and the beautiful views of the snow-capped mountains leave the tourists spellbound.

Best Time to Visit

September to November is the best time to plan a Muktinath Temple visit in Nepal. The trekking trails are full of trekkers during these months. It will be quite easy and worthy to visit Muktinath Temple during the autumn season. Spring season is also the best time to visit Muktinath at Mustang, Nepal.

There are different ways to reach Muktinath Temple in Nepal

By Helicopter: From the Kathmandu Airport, you can visit Muktinath Temple in just one and a half hour by helicopter. After worshipping at Muktinath, you can come either fly back to Kathmandu or to Pokhara.

By Road and Flight: The another comfortable way to visit Muktinath Temple is to go by road and then by scheduled flight. The route goes like first drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (206 km) which takes you around 6 hours and then stay overnight there. Next morning fly from Pokhara to Jomsom (it takes you around 15-20 minutes) and then move towards the jeep stand. From there you need to drive again for one and a half hour and then drive from Jomsom to Muktinath by Jeep. After covering the jeep distance you need to walk for more one and a half hour to reach the shrine. However, if you are not willing to go bare foot then you can also opt for Horse ride. Sat overnight at Jomsom after the Darshan. Next morning, fly back to Kathmandu or reach at Pokhara.

By Road: The road route to Muktinath goes like this, the jeep goes from Kathmandu to Pokhara which is around 206 km away from it takes around 6 hours to cover the distance. Stay overnight at Pokhara. Next day in the morning drive from Pokhara to Jomsom via Beni, Tatopani, Ghasa, and Marpha i.e. a total of 170 km distance which needs takes around 9 hours to cover the entire distance and then you must be tired so stay for overnight at Jomsom. Next morning drive from Jomsom to Muktinath, pay homage and then drive back to Pokhara. It takes a total of 4-8 days to pay ho, age at Muktinath and then come back if you are going by road only.

By Flight: From the Kathmandu Airport, we will fly to Pokhara which takes a lump sum of 25 minutes. It is to be noted that the flights from Pohara to Jomsom fly only in the early morning therefore it requires one overnight stay at Pokhara. Next morning fly to Jomsom and then cover the rest of the distance by driving towards Muktinath. Post Darshan, fly back to Jomsom and then stay for the night. Next day fly from Jomsom to Pokhara in the morning and then to Kathmandu. Although traveling Muktinath from Kathmandu is also an easy way to visit the shrine.

Muktinath Travel Permits

Before commencing your journey from Pokhara to Muktinath, a devotee requires to collect two permit cards if they are traveling via trek, road, or by flight also. The required permits of the Yatra are enlisted below:

ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project Permit): this permit can be obtained from the Nepal Tourism which is located at Pokhara or at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu.

TIMS (Trekker’s Information Management System Permit) – It can be obtained from TAAN which is located at two different locations. One is at Satghumti Thamel and the other one is at Mali Gaun, Kathmandu.

The temple symbolizes the religious symbiosis between Hindus and Buddhists. The origin of this temple is associated with the 19th century and it is believed that this Vishnu Temple was consecrated by Hindus. History of this temple states that Shabkar who was a very famous Tibetan Yogi visited Muktinath in 1818 and rested there for many days so that he could connect well with the place. It is said that the initiative of the construction of this temple was given by Sabarna Prabha, a Nepali Queen.

Also, Damodar Kunda, a very popular lake which is located nearby the Muktinath Temple is the main source of Shaligram and the Gandaki River. The lake is also called as the starting point of Mukti Kshetra and is also related to the life of Guru Rinpoche. In the Tibetan language, the lake is called as “Men-Chu”.

Importance of Paying Homage at Muktinath Temple

Hindu mythology states that the whole world is an illusion of the life cycle of birth and death and everyone wants to be free from this cycle of birth and death and want to attain liberation. It is believed that a visit to Muktinath helps in achieving the liberation so devotees come here from different places.

The 2 holy water tanks and 108 waterspouts are considered to cleanse the sins committed in the past. So, devotees visiting this temple do take bath in the waterspouts and the Kunds to cleanse themselves from their sins.

Legends behind the Muktinath Temple

Legend 1: It states that Guru Rinpoche who was the founder of Tibetan Buddhism meditated at this place while moving towards Tibet and he attained the lifelong spiritual knowledge from this place. This legend dates back to the 12th century.

Legend 2: For Hindus, Muktinath represents Lord Vishnu and for Buddhists, it represents Mahatma Buddha. There are numerous interesting stories behind the origin of Muktinath. According to a very popular Hindu mythology, there was a battle between Lord Shiva and Jalandhar who was a powerful demon king. Being an evil-minded, Jalandhar crossed his limit and to achieve Goddess Parvati he attacked Kailash. Later on by using his power he transformed himself in Lord Shiva but he couldn’t cheat Goddess Parvati as she had realized it that it was not his husband Lord Shiva so she quickly called out Lord Shiva to help her. A battle started between them but his wife’s trust and faithfulness in Lord Shiva saved him from getting killed. Soon after gods decided to play a trick to destroy that massive evil and then Lord Vishnu duplicated himself into Jalandhar and went to Vrinda. She couldn’t recognize Lord Vishnu and treated as Jalandhar (her husband). Meanwhile, she lost her devotion and Lord Shiva slaughtered the demon. Later on, Vrinda learned the truth of the trick and she gave the curse to Lord Vishnu to spend his rest of the life as a Shila and this is how Muktinath originated and Lord Vishnu started getting worshipped there. After cursing Lord Vishnu, Vrinda killed herself and with her ashes, a Tulsi plant grew there.

After this incident, Lord Vishnu started respecting and loving more to Vrinda than Goddess Lakshmi. Since then, pilgrims visiting Muktinath must get a Tulsi leaf while worshipping the Shaligram.

Legend 3: The other famous legend behind the origin of Muktinath is related to the death of Sati who was the first wife of Lord Shiva. According to Swasthani Brata, Lord Shiva took the dead body of Sati with him and wandered at many places. While he was wandering her body parts had fallen down at many places and wherever it felt down, the place got famed as Shakti Peeth and Muktinath is also one of them. It is believed that her face (called as Mukh in Sanskrit) was fallen down at Muktinath and this is how the place got honored as Muktinath.

The name of this temple itself intonates the religious tone and also sounds like an emotional ring to its Hindu devout. Seated at an elevation of 3710 meters above the sea level and at the foothills of the Thorong La Pass, Muktinath holds great religious significance in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It is believed to be one of the oldest temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and it also represents the most ancient Vaishnava tradition in Nepal. The temple is however small but is a highly venerated sacred for Buddhists and Hindus both. Hindus call this place as Mukti Kshetra which means a place to attain salvation whereas Buddhists call it as Chumming Gyatsa which literally means a “hundred waters” in the Tibetan language. Muktinath is considered to be one of the 24 most visited Tantric places and is also a revered place of the goddesses of Dakinis who are also called as sky dancers.

Location

This small yet highly revered temple is located in the Muktinath Valley and at the foothills of the Thorong La Pass which is a part of the Himalayas. Muktinath Temple is nestled at an elevation of 3710 meters above the sea level in Mustang, Nepal. The temple is situated near to Ranipauwa village. The temple is around 90 meter in elevation from Ranipauwa and is around 48 km away from the north east of Jomsom which is a great place to commence trekking. It is located to the north of the Tibetan Plateau and to the south of Annapurna Range.

Architecture

The temple is believed to be constructed in the 19th century and has been designed in Pagoda style. The main temple of Muktinath is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is shaped like a Pagoda. The statue installed in the shrine is tall like a man and is made up of gold. Statues of Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi, Garuda, Sapta Rishis, and Luv-Kush are also present inside the temple. It is believed that the central temple of Chumming Gyatsa had risen up itself and is so counted among the eight most sacred temple of Hindu Vaishnavas.

Attractions

• Muktidhara: There are 108 waterspouts which are constructed behind the temple. All these faucets are designed and shaped as bullhead and are arranged very close to each other (barely at a distance of a foot) in a semi-circular form. Pilgrims visiting Muktinath take a dip in every waterspout. However, it requires a lot of courage to take a bath as the waterspouts contain freezing cold water.
• Kunds: There are 2 Kunds established in front of the Muktinath Temple which is named as Saraswati and Lakshmi Kund. Devotees visiting the temple take a dip in these Kunds as they believe that doing this will wash away all their past sins and will set them free from the negative Karmas.
• Jwala Mai Temple: This ancient temple is reckoned for its three eternal flames “Holy flame from Rock”, “Holy flame from the soil”, and “Holy flame from water”. Hindu devout believe that this miracle of continuous burning flame was offered by Lord Brahma. Among these three eternal flames, only two are burning Presently.
• Gomba: A monastery dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava (Rimpoche) housing a huge image of Rimpoche. The monastery is established to the north of the Muktinath Temple and is a must visit the place after completing the puja rituals and prayers at the temple.
• Shaligrama: The other major attraction of Muktinath is Shaligrama which is a black-stoned fossil. It can be collected from the River Gandaki where the fossils of Jurassic Park Age are present. One can also buy these fossils from the locals by paying certain bugs.
• Gomba Samba: It is a newly built monastery where one can find the idols of Chenrezig, Sakyamuni as the main deities. Visiting this beautiful monastery is a worth visit and to add on some more memories to the trip.

Worship and Festivals

The cultural heritage of the temple is in the hands of Buddhist nuns. All the puja rituals performed here are done by the local nuns. As per the temple traditions, devotees after completing their prayers and puja rituals visit Mebar Lha Gomba which is a small monastery famous for miraculous fire. Devout offers Prasad and Shaligram to the deity of Lord Vishnu.

The temple is, however, flocked by devotees throughout the year but on the occasion of Ram Navami, Vijayadashami, and Rishitarpani the temple is heavily crowded with devotees. These festivals are organized in a grand way at Muktinath Temple. So, visiting Muktinath during these festive seasons gives a special experience to the visitors.