Perched at an elevation of approximately 3,710 meters (with upper slope measurements reaching 3,800 meters) in the arid trans-Himalayan rain-shadow north of the Annapurna massif, Muktinath Temple (Nepali: मुक्तिनाथ मन्दिर, Tibetan: ཆུ་མིག་བརྒྱ་རྩ། Chumig Gyatsa) emerges at the foot of the snowbound Thorong La pass (5,416 meters) as an oasis of ancient poplar trees set against the barren mountain slopes of Mustang District. Passing through the entrance gate beneath canopies of five-colored Lungta prayer flags and stone Mani walls, visitors encounter a graceful three-tiered pagoda constructed in traditional Newar style with a gilded brass pinnacle gleaming in the crisp Himalayan sunlight. Curving immediately behind the compact sanctuary is a semicircular stone wall fitted with 108 cast-bronze bull-headed water spouts (Muktidhara), from which icy glacial spring water pours continuously throughout the four seasons.
Few pilgrimage sanctuaries in the world blend Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism as seamlessly as Muktinath. To Hindu pilgrims journeying from the plains of India and Nepal, this valley is Mukti Kshetra (the Field of Liberation) and the 106th of the 108 Divya Desams sacred to Lord Vishnu, intimately tied to the black Shaligram ammonite fossils gathered from the bed of the nearby Kali Gandaki River gorge. To Tibetan Buddhists and the people of Mustang, the very same precinct is Chumig Gyatsa (the Hundred Sacred Waters), the celestial abode of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) and the twenty-four Sky-Dancing Dakinis where Master Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) meditated on his journey to Tibet, and where daily offerings inside the main sanctum have been tended for centuries by indigenous Tibetan Buddhist nuns alongside a Hindu Brahmin priest.
IMukti Kshetra, the Sacred Shaligram Fossils, and the Hundred Waters of Chumig Gyatsa
The Sanskrit and Nepali name Muktinath combines Mukti (मुक्ति, synonymous with Moksha, ultimate liberation from the cycle of birth and death) and Natha (नाथ, Supreme Lord), meaning the Lord of Liberation. The surrounding valley is venerated as Mukti Kshetra (the Place of Liberation), honored as one of the four supreme pilgrimage sanctuaries of Nepal (the Nepalese Char Dham, alongside Pashupatinath, Ruru Kshetra, and Baraha Kshetra).
In classical Hindu scripture, the Muktinath Valley and the Kali Gandaki (Krishnagandaki) River flowing below it are celebrated in the Gandaki Mahatmya section of the Vishnu Purana, the Varaha Purana, and the Padma Purana. Puranic mythology relates that when the chaste Vrinda (Tulsi) discovered that Lord Vishnu had assumed her husband Jalandhara's form so the gods could defeat the invincible demon king, she cursed Vishnu to turn into black stone. Accepting her curse out of respect for her devotion, Vishnu manifested in the bed of the Kali Gandaki River at the foot of the Muktinath hills as smooth black river stones containing fossilized Jurassic ammonite shells (dating back 140 to 165 million years to the ancient Tethys Ocean). Known as Shaligram Shilas, these natural spiral-marked fossils are revered across Hinduism as non-anthropomorphic, self-manifested (Svayambhu) emblems of Lord Vishnu bearing his divine discus, the Sudarshana Chakra.
Within the South Indian Sri Vaishnava tradition, Muktinath is extolled under the classical Tamil name Tiru Saligramam (திருச்சாளக்கிராமம்) and ranked as the 106th of the 108 Divya Desams (the 108 holy abodes of Vishnu sung by the twelve Alvar poet-saints in the 7th-to-9th-century Tamil canon Nalayira Divya Prabandham, specifically in ten hymns by Thirumangai Alvar and two hymns by Periyalvar). Sri Vaishnavism further classifies Muktinath among the eight supreme self-manifested sanctuaries on earth (Ashta Svayam Vyakta Kshetras), alongside Srirangam, Tirupati, and Badrinath. Simultaneously, the Shakta tradition venerates Muktinath as one of the 51 Shakti Pithas, marking the spot where the temple of Goddess Sati's forehead fell to earth, worshipped here as the goddess Gandaki Chandi accompanied by Shiva as Chakrapani.
Chumig Gyatsa: Abode of the Dakinis and meditation site of Padmasambhava
For practitioners of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism and the Tibetan-speaking inhabitants of Upper and Lower Mustang, this sanctuary is revered as Chumig Gyatsa (ཆུ་མིག་བརྒྱ་རྩ།, meaning the Hundred Sacred Waters). In Vajrayana tantric geography, Chumig Gyatsa is counted among the twenty-four supreme Tantric places (24 Pithas) of Jambudvipa and is honored as the dwelling place of the Dakinis (Khandroma, female embodiments of enlightened energy known as Sky Dancers).
According to Tibetan historical biographies, in the 8th century CE while traveling from India and Uddiyana across the Himalayas to Tibet at the invitation of King Trisong Detsen, the tantric master Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal meditated at Chumig Gyatsa, subduing local Naga serpent spirits and blessing its 108 springs and natural subterranean flames as a power-place for purifying karmic obscurations. Buddhist tradition further holds that when the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas (Great Adepts) of ancient India visited this sanctuary, they planted their wooden walking staves in the earth beside the springs, and those staves sprouted into the sacred grove of ancient Himalayan poplar trees (Populus ciliata) that shelters the Muktinath complex today.
The interfaith harmony of Muktinath reaches its most intimate expression inside the inner sanctum of the central pagoda: the human-sized gilded metal image enthroned on the main altar is worshipped by Hindus as Sri Muktinarayana (Lord Vishnu the Liberator, flanked by Sridevi / Lakshmi and Bhudevi), while Tibetan Buddhists venerate the very same image as Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig / Lokesvara), Lord of Compassion. Even more remarkably, the daily lighting of butter lamps and ritual care of the inner sanctum are carried out jointly by a Hindu Brahmin priest and a lineage of local Tibetan Buddhist nuns (Jhumas) from the neighboring villages of Purang and Ranipauwa.
IIHistory from Classical Scriptures and the Kingdom of Jumla to Queen Subarna Prabha's 1815 Pagoda
Situated directly above the ancient trans-Himalayan salt-and-grain trade corridor that followed the Kali Gandaki gorge between the Indian plains and the Tibetan Plateau through Mustang (the historic Kingdom of Lo), Muktinath has drawn ascetics, lamas, and pilgrims for more than two millennia.
Textual evidence confirms the fame of Saligramam / Muktinath by the 7th to 9th centuries CE in the Tamil hymns of Thirumangai Alvar and Periyalvar in South India, as well as in Tibetan Terma chronicles and biographies of masters from both the Early Diffusion (8th century) and Later Diffusion (11th century, including Marpa, Milarepa, and Atisha) of Buddhism. Prior to the early 19th century, the central shrine at Muktinath was a modest stone-and-clay structure maintained under the patronage of the rulers of the Khasa Malla / Jumla kingdom and the local nobility of Baragaon (Lower Mustang). In 1815 CE (some records cite 1814 - 1815), following the unification of Nepal under the Shah dynasty, Queen Subarna Prabha Devi (consort of King Rana Bahadur Shah and Queen Regent of Nepal from 1800 to 1802, who had undertaken a royal pilgrimage to Muktinath around 1806 - 1807) funded the replacement of the earlier clay shrine with the present three-tiered Newar-style stone-and-timber pagoda.
- 1st millennium BCE - 5th century CEVeneration of Shaligram fossils and natural flames in the PuranasThe Muktinath Valley and Kali Gandaki River are celebrated in the Vishnu Purana and Mahabharata as the unique source of sacred Shaligram ammonite stones and the site where subterranean fire burns upon glacial water.
- 7th - 9th century CETamil Alvar hymns to Tiru Saligramam and Padmasambhava's meditationIn South India, the Vaishnava poet-saints Thirumangai Alvar and Periyalvar composed twelve hymns in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham praising Lord Vishnu at Tiru Saligramam (Muktinath) as one of the 108 Divya Desams. During the 8th century, Master Padmasambhava meditated at Chumig Gyatsa on his way to Tibet, consecrating the site among the 24 Tantric places.
- 15th - 18th centuryPatronage by the kings of Mustang (Lo), Jumla, and Sakya-Nyingma monasteriesRulers of Jumla and Baragaon maintained the early clay-and-stone shrine beside the springs, while Tibetan Buddhist masters of the Sakya, Nyingma, and Kagyu orders built surrounding gompas in the poplar grove and entrusted the sanctuary's care to hereditary Jhuma nuns.
- 1806 - 1815Queen Subarna Prabha Devi builds the three-tiered Newar pagodaFollowing her royal pilgrimage to Muktinath around 1806 - 1807 and the establishment of the pilgrim rest-house settlement of Ranipauwa (meaning Queen's Inn), Queen Subarna Prabha Devi of Nepal commissioned the present three-tiered Newar pagoda in 1814 - 1815 and organized the semicircular wall of 108 bronze bull-headed water spouts.
- Early 20th century (1905)Renovation of the Jwala Mai flame temple (Mebar Lhakhang)Tibetan Buddhist lineages and Nepalese authorities renovated the Mebar Lhakhang (Jwala Mai Temple) sheltering the eternal natural-gas flames burning over underground spring water, along with the neighboring Narsingh Gompa (Marme Lhakhang) and Sarwa Gompa.
- Late 20th - 21st centuryErection of colossal Shakyamuni Buddha and Guru Rinpoche statuesBuddhist and Hindu communities together with the Muktinath Development Committee refurbished the twin Mukti Kunda bathing pools before the pagoda and erected two monumental painted stone statues over 10 meters tall of Shakyamuni Buddha and Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) overlooking the snow peaks of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri.
IIIThree-Tiered Pagoda Architecture, 108 Bull-Headed Water Spouts, and the Eternal Flame of Jwala Mai
The entire Muktinath complex nestles within a sheltered sacred grove of Himalayan poplar trees (Populus ciliata) on a limestone mountain slope at 3,710 meters. Compact in scale to withstand the high-altitude winds and winter snows of Mustang, the sanctuary brings together all Five Cosmic Elements (Pancha Mahabhuta: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space) in a single natural landscape.
The 1815 three-tiered Newar pagoda and its dual Hindu-Buddhist icons
Commissioned in 1815 by Queen Subarna Prabha, the central temple of Muktinath is a three-tiered Newar-style pagoda resting upon a raised square stone plinth and rising approximately 12 to 15 meters to its gilded brass pinnacle (Gajur). Its thick ground-floor walls are built of dressed mountain stone coated in white limewash with dark red trim to insulate the interior against freezing drafts from the Thorong La pass.
Inside the intimate, butter-lamp-lit sanctum stand cast-copper and brass images revered simultaneously by both faiths: at the center stands a human-sized gilded metal statue worshipped by Hindus as Sri Muktinarayana (Lord Vishnu) and by Tibetan Buddhists as Avalokiteshvara (Lokesvara / Chenrezig), flanking the central deity are bronze images of Lakshmi (Sridevi), Bhudevi (Saraswati), and Garuda (read by Buddhist pilgrims as accompanying Bodhisattvas), alongside sacred Shaligram Shila ammonite fossils from the Kali Gandaki River.
Mounted at head height along a semicircular stone retaining wall curving behind the main pagoda are 108 continuously flowing water spouts cast in bronze or brass in the shape of bull heads (Gaumukh), spaced roughly half a meter apart. Fed by icy snowmelt channeled from springs on the eastern ridge above, these 108 spouts represent the sacred bathing pools (Pushkarinis) of all 108 Divya Desams in Sri Vaishnava belief and the Hundred Sacred Waters (Chumig Gyatsa) blessed by the Dakinis and Padmasambhava in Tibetan Buddhism. Even in sub-zero winter weather, pilgrims run beneath the full arc of 108 freezing water jets so that every stream touches their crown, believing the bath washes away a lifetime of negative karma.
Directly in front of the western facade of the main pagoda lie two square stone-lined pools filled with icy spring water known as the Mukti Kunda (individually called Laxmi Kunda and Saraswati Kunda, or Paap Kunda and Punya Kunda). After running beneath the 108 bull-headed spouts behind the temple, Hindu devotees plunge into these two pools to complete their ritual purification (Snana) before entering the sanctum.
Located about 100 meters south of the main pagoda within the poplar grove stands the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Mebar Lhakhang (Temple of the Miraculous Fire), known to Hindus as the Jwala Mai Temple (Goddess of the Flame). Inside a dark rock recess beneath the altar behind an iron grille, natural subterranean hydrocarbon gas seeps through fissures to sustain pale blue flames burning continuously directly atop a murmuring underground water spring and from adjacent earth vents. Revered in Hindu myth as a sacred fire kindled by Lord Brahma and in Buddhism as a self-arisen wisdom flame consecrated by Padmasambhava, this union of Water and Fire in a single cave embodies the harmony of the Five Elements.
Immediately north of the central pagoda stands the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Narsingh Gompa (known in Tibetan as Marme Lhakhang, the Temple of a Thousand Butter Lamps). Its prayer hall houses a deeply revered clay-and-gilt statue of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) with wide, piercing eyes (traditionally held to have been blessed by the master himself and spoken the words 'It looks like me'), alongside fierce deity images that Hindu pilgrims honor as the man-lion avatar Narasimha.
Flanking the stepped stone approach ascending from Ranipauwa town toward the temple gate stand two colossal painted stone statues rising over 10 meters tall against the backdrop of the snow-clad Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) and Nilgiri peaks: one depicting Shakyamuni Buddha seated in meditation upon a lotus throne, and the other depicting Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) holding the vajra and longevity vase amid rows of white chortens and prayer wheels.
IVThe Lie of the Land and Sacred Orientation
Neither Hinduism nor Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism in Mustang employs Chinese compass feng shui, instead, Muktinath is sited according to the Sacred Geography of the Five Elements (Pancha Mahabhuta) and Himalayan Tantric Beyul / Pitha topography. Here the sanctuary was fixed by a rare geological convergence: 108 glacial springs emerging from limestone strata alongside subterranean natural gas flames burning over water at the western foot of the Thorong La pass above the Jhong Khola and Kali Gandaki valleys. The analysis below examines the actual high-mountain landform of Muktinath through the comparative lens of classical landform geomancy.
Examined on the topographic map of the central Himalayas at coordinates 28.8171 degrees North latitude and 83.8717 degrees East longitude (at an elevation of 3,710 meters at the temple gate rising to 3,800 meters on the upper terrace), Muktinath Temple occupies a commanding mid-slope mountain amphitheater node (the node / Dragon Spot (Xue) where Yin water and Yang fire converge). Tracing its macro-scale mountain dragon vein (Dragon Vein (Long Mai)): the sanctuary rests on the western slope of the snow peaks of Thorong Peak (6,144 m) and Khatung Kang (6,484 m) connecting the Damodar Himal and Annapurna ranges. Directly above the back of the temple to the East rises the high saddle of the Thorong La pass (5,416 m), while below the temple to the West flows the Jhong Khola (Chumig Gyatsa river) descending westward past the medieval citadel of Jharkot to join the Kali Gandaki River at Kagbeni. The Kali Gandaki itself cuts southward right between two of the world's fourteen 8,000-meter giants, Annapurna I (8,091 m) on the east and Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) on the west, forming the deepest gorge on earth. In classical landform study, two 8,000-meter snow massifs standing guard on either side of a sacred fossil-bearing river form a monumental Celestial Gate and Earthly Portal (Thiên môn địa hộ).
Regarding axial orientation and the four emblems: the main pagoda of Muktinath is sited in a classic sitting East and facing West formation, resting its back against the eastern mountain slope of Thorong La while looking straight out across the Jhong Khola valley toward the snow wall of Dhaulagiri to the West and Southwest. Standing in the front courtyard and gazing West: behind the temple to the East rises the towering ridge of Thorong La as a protective rear backing (Rear Backing Mountain (Hou Zhen)) that shields the poplar grove from pass blizzards while feeding the perennial mountain springs that curve around the rear wall through the 108 Muktidhara spouts, in front of the temple to the West opens the wide terraced basin of the Muktinath and Jharkot valley as a sunlit bright hall (Bright Hall (Ming Tang)), rising directly across the valley on the western horizon stand the gleaming white pyramids of Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Nilgiri (7,061 m), and Tukuche Peak (6,920 m) as majestic front screen and homage mountains (Front Table Mountain (Qian An) / Worshipping Mountain (Chao Shan)), to the left on the South (Azure Dragon on the left) extends the glaciated wall of the Thorong-Nilgiri ridge, and to the right on the North (White Tiger on the right) rise the protective barren ridges sheltering the approach to Upper Mustang. Above all, the simultaneous presence of 108 icy glacial springs (Yin Water) and subterranean natural gas flames burning continuously over water at Jwala Mai (Yang Fire) within a single green woodland at nearly 4,000 meters embodies the classical Water-and-Fire Harmonized formation (Water Fire ký tế), where primordial Yin and Yang meet to generate spiritual transformation.
VJanai Purnima, the Mustang Horse Festival of Yartung, and the 108-Waters Pilgrimage
Because Muktinath stands at 3,710 meters where winter brings heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures, its festival calendar peaks during spring (March to May) and late summer to autumn (August to November), governed jointly by the Nepalese Hindu lunisolar calendar (Vikram Samvat) and the Tibetan lunar calendar kept by the local people of Mustang (Baragaon and Lo).
| Time (Calendar system) | Festival / Ritual name | Liturgical observance and activities at Muktinath (Chumig Gyatsa) |
|---|---|---|
| Full moon of Shrawan (Hindu / Nepalese lunar calendar, approx. August) | Sacred Thread Full Moon Festival (Janai Purnima / Rishi Tarpani) | The largest late-summer pilgrimage drawing thousands of Hindu and Buddhist devotees up to Muktinath. After running beneath the 108 icy Muktidhara water spouts and dipping into the twin Mukti Kunda pools, Hindu men renew their sacred shoulder thread (Janai) and all pilgrims receive red-and-yellow protective wrist cords (Raksha Bandhan) blessed before Lord Muktinarayana. |
| Around the August full moon (Mustang Tibetan calendar, lasting 3 to 4 days) | Mustang End-of-Summer Horse Racing Festival (Yartung Mela) | The liveliest indigenous festival of the Tibetan-speaking villages of the Muktinath Valley (Ranipauwa, Jharkot, Purang, and Kagbeni) celebrating the close of the summer harvest before winter. After offering butter lamps and juniper incense (Sang) at Chumig Gyatsa, hundreds of horsemen and women in traditional Tibetan dress gallop across the high mountain meadows competing to snatch white Khata silk scarves from the ground at full speed, followed by folk dancing and barley-beer feasts. |
| 8th to 15th of Chaitra and Ashwin (Nepalese lunar calendar, March - April and September - October) | Spring and Autumn Pilgrimages of Chaite Dashain and Bada Dashain | Coinciding with the clearest Himalayan weather windows, tens of thousands of pilgrims from across Nepal and India (especially Sri Vaishnava devotees from South India) travel up the Kali Gandaki corridor to bathe beneath the 108 spouts, venerate the Shaligram fossils, and perform ancestral liberation rites (Pitri Tarpan) at the river confluence of Kagbeni below Muktinath. |
| 10th day of the 6th Tibetan lunar month (Approx. July or August) | Birthday Anniversary of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava Tsechu) | The resident Jhuma nuns and monks at Mebar Lhakhang, Narsingh Gompa (Marme Lhakhang), and Sarwa Gompa inside the Chumig Gyatsa grove hold grand Vajra Guru mantra chanting assemblies, offer Ganachakra (Tsog) ritual feasts, and light thousands of butter lamps before the sacred statue of Padmasambhava. |
| Daily from dawn (Year-round dual-faith liturgy) | Ritual bath beneath the 108 Muktidhara spouts and joint Puja-Butter Lamp rites | Every morning, pilgrims run barefoot beneath the semicircular arc of 108 bull-headed glacial spouts and dip into the Laxmi and Saraswati pools before entering the central three-tiered pagoda to receive a red Tika blessing on the forehead from the Hindu Brahmin priest and a blessed protection cord and sacred water from the Tibetan Buddhist nuns. |
The defining daily scene at Muktinath is the sight of elderly pilgrims from tropical South India and the Gangetic plain braving the biting mountain air at 3,710 meters to run barefoot beneath the freezing water pouring from 108 bronze bull heads while chanting Om Namo Narayanaya, right beside Tibetan pilgrims in heavy wool chubas turning copper prayer wheels and reciting Om Mani Padme Hum. Beneath the rustling leaves of the ancient poplar grove, the two mantras blend into a living expression of Himalayan spiritual harmony.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Muktinath Valley, Ranipauwa, Baragung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality, Mustang District 33100, Gandaki Province, Nepal (मुक्तिनाथ, मुस्ताङ)
- Getting there
- From the city of Pokhara, visitors can take a 20-minute mountain flight to Jomsom Airport (headquarters of Mustang District) and then travel about 20 kilometers by local jeep or bus along the paved road up the Kali Gandaki and Jhong Khola valleys via Kagbeni to Ranipauwa (at the foot of Muktinath Temple), overland travelers can also drive directly from Pokhara via Beni, Tatopani, and Jomsom, while trekkers on the classic Annapurna Circuit descend directly into Muktinath after crossing the 5,416-meter Thorong La pass.
- Coordinates
- 28.8171, 83.8717
When visiting Muktinath Temple at an elevation of 3,710 meters, the foremost practical precaution for visitors is preventing acute mountain sickness (AMS): please ascend the more than 300 stone steps from the Ranipauwa checkpost to the temple gate slowly, dress in warm windproof layers, and stay well hydrated. If you wish to take the traditional purifying bath beneath the 108 bull-headed Muktidhara spouts, bring a dry towel and warm clothes to change into immediately at the poolside changing rooms, as the glacial water is near freezing even in summer. Please remove all shoes and leather items before entering the central three-tiered pagoda and the Jwala Mai flame temple, and refrain from photography inside the inner sanctums.
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?Quick Questions
Why is Muktinath revered equally by both Hindus and Tibetan Buddhists?
For Hindus, Muktinath is Mukti Kshetra (the Field of Liberation) and the 106th of the 108 Divya Desams sacred to Lord Vishnu, linked to the self-manifested Shaligram ammonite fossils of the Kali Gandaki River and the Shakti Pitha where Goddess Sati's forehead fell. For Tibetan Buddhists, it is Chumig Gyatsa (the Hundred Sacred Waters), an abode of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the Sky-Dancing Dakinis where Master Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) meditated on his journey to Tibet. Inside the main sanctum, both a Hindu Brahmin priest and Tibetan Buddhist nuns officiate side by side.
What is the meaning of the 108 bull-headed water spouts behind Muktinath Temple?
Curving along the semicircular stone wall behind the main pagoda are 108 cast-bronze bull-headed spouts (Muktidhara) fed by icy glacial springs from the Thorong La ridge. The sacred number 108 represents the 108 Divya Desam shrines in Vaishnava Hinduism and the purification of 108 defilements in Buddhism. Pilgrims run beneath all 108 freezing water streams in the belief that the bath cleanses all past karma and grants spiritual liberation.
What causes the eternal flame burning on water inside the Jwala Mai Temple?
Inside the Jwala Mai Temple (known in Tibetan as Mebar Lhakhang, the Temple of the Miraculous Fire) about 100 meters south of the main pagoda, natural subterranean hydrocarbon gas (geological methane) seeps through rock fissures directly beneath an underground water spring, sustaining pale blue flames that have burned continuously atop the water and stone vents for centuries. Both faiths revere this natural wonder as a sacred union of all Five Cosmic Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space).
What are Shaligram stones and why are they associated with Muktinath?
Shaligrams (Salagrama Shilas) are smooth black river stones containing fossilized Jurassic ammonite shells (dating back 140 to 165 million years when the Himalayas lay beneath the ancient Tethys Ocean), found naturally only along the bed of the Kali Gandaki River below the Muktinath Valley. Because the natural spiral chambers inside the stone resemble the divine discus (Sudarshana Chakra) of Lord Vishnu, Hindus worship Shaligrams as self-manifested (Svayambhu) emblems of Vishnu.
When was the present three-tiered pagoda of Muktinath built?
Although the sanctuary of Muktinath / Tiru Saligramam is praised in ancient Puranas and 7th-to-9th-century Tamil hymns, the present three-tiered Newar-style pagoda crowned with a gilded brass pinnacle was built in 1815 (replacing an earlier clay-and-stone shrine of the Jumla kings) under the royal patronage of Queen Subarna Prabha Devi, consort of King Rana Bahadur Shah of Nepal.