Astrology & Sacred Sites: The Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu

Astrology & Sacred Sites: The Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu

Astrology & Sacred Sites: The Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.  On the astrogeographical position of the famous Shiva temple in the capital city of Nepal.

Aarti at Pashupathinath photo: Girisumit1990, ccbysa4.0
Aarti at Pashupathinath photo: Girisumit1990, ccbysa4.0

Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal is one of the oldest, most famous and most important Shiva temples on the indian subcontinent and ranked as the most important temple in the Kingdom of Nepal. Paśupati the  “Lord of all animals” is seen as an avatar – an incarnation of the Hindu God Shiva.  According to the mythology of the Pashupatinath Temple Shiva incarnated and lived in the Kathmandu valley as a deer in the form of Pashupatinath. The term paśupa “cattle-keeping” appears in the  Rigveda in relation to a solar deity named Pushan. The aspect of the deer as a herbivore, gregarious animal and living in the same natural habitat as cows relates it to the role of earth sign Taurus in astrology.

View of the central Temple at Pashupatinath Photo: Seeteufel, GNU/FDL
View of the central Temple at Pashupatinath located in the first degrees of Capricorn and in Taurus for morphogenetic field level 4   Photo: Seeteufel,, GNU/FDL

The central  main temple building is built in Nepalese Pagoda Style.

Entrance to Pashupathinath Temple in Kathmandu photo: Gerd Eichmann, ccbysa4.0
Western Entrance to Pashupathinath Temple in Kathmandu. The prominence of Nandi  Shiva´s guardian bull  at the entrance to the temple is symptomatic for the astrogeographic position in Taurus the sign of bulls and also for the location on the first degree of Capricorn the astrological equivalent for a guardian bewteen 2 different worlds.  photo: Gerd Eichmann, ccbysa4.0

Western Entrance to Pashupathinath Temple in Kathmandu. The prominence of Nandi Shiva´s guardian bull  at the entrance to the temple is symptomatic for the astrogeographic position in Taurus the sign of bulls and also for the location on the first degree of Capricorn the astrological equivalent for a guardian between 2 different worlds.

Astrogeographic position for morphognetic field level 4 which describes the atmosphere of the temple itself: the central temple & lingam is located in the first degrees of solid, strict, conservative, history orientated, hierarchical earth sign Capricorn sign of rocks, stability, government institutions.  The position of Nandi Shiva´s guardian bull next to the western entrance of Pashupatinath marks the exact cardinal width of 30°Sagittarius/0° Capricorn, so that the north part of the temple is located in fire sign Sagittarius a natural indicator for cremation grounds. Statues next to cardinal divides have the role of guardians  This is particularly important if located in between Sagittarius the sign of searching, hunting and thinking  as an indicator for the mental plane and Capricorn the sign of the acceptance of abstract and supra-individual concerns, authority and responsibility as an indicator for the spiritual plane. Shiva`s bull so takes the role and place of a guardian between two worlds.

The 2nd coordinate which is valid for the whole of the temple area lies in earth sign Taurus the sign of the earth, grounding, growing roots, control over territory, food, agriculture, wealth, market places, local energetic centers & and indicator for the deer and cow legends around the origin of the temple deity Pashupathinath. The aspect of the deer as a herbivore, gregarious animal and living in the same natural habitat as cows relates it to the role of earth sign Taurus in astrology. The superlarge, monumental shape and the intensely prominentt position of Shiva´s bull Nandi at the entrance of the main temple gate is also a clear hint at the importance of the sign of Taurus at the place.

The astrogeographical combination of Taurus with Capricorn is highly typical for central government temples dedicated to fertility rites especially in successful agricultural societies. Such temples serve the stabilization of the governmént and the system installed by the ruling classes. Two major examples for this type of temples dedicated to the annual fertility rites conducted by the Pharaos or Chinese Emperors located in Taurus with Capricorn are:  The  Karnak Tempel of Amun Re in Luxor and the Tian Tan Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Surrounding area of the central shrine located in the combination of Pisces with Sagittarius for morphogenetic field level 3 photo: Alexander Shafir
Surrounding area of the central shrine located in the combination of Pisces with Sagittarius for morphogenetic field level 3  photo: Alexander Shafir, ccbysa3.0

Astrogeographic position for field level 3 which describes how the the larger area around the central shrine of Pashupatinath Temple with the ashrams and other temples and buildings is embedded in the surrounding and the town of Kathmandu: one of the astrogeographical coordinates lies in dynamic fire sign Sagittarius the sign of shamanism, sacrificial rites, the priest castes, brahmins, initiation, traveling and philosophy. The second coordinate is in relaxed, mystic, spiritual water sign Pisces the sign of reconnection with the spiritual plane, subtle peception, mystification, illusions, the dream world, intoxication and most important, supportive and stimulating astrogeographical position  for temple sites.

India & Hindu temples in my astrogeography blog: The Shakti Peetha shrines, The Sites of the 12 Jyotirlinga in AstrologyThe source of the river Ganges in Cancer-Scorpio ,Sri Amarnath Shiva Lingam in Aries with Cancer, The Pashupatinath Temple in KathmanduShiva in two water signs,  Mount Kailash in Astrogeography,  North Sentinel Island the most isolated tribal population on the planetGemini and Aries – A Statue of Hanuman,The Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, Sri Gomateshvara – A Bath of Milk and Honey, Astrology & Sacred Sites: The Golden Temple,Krishna`s Birthplace, The Temple of Buddha`s Illumination, Taurus and Scorpio – The Taj Mahal in Agra,Temples of the Sun and the Planets in India, Aquarius the sign of India`s only Radha Rani TempleKandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho, The Mystical Buddhist Monastery of Nalanda in Astrogeography, The Navagraha Temples for the planets in Hindu Astrology and other places related to Nadi Astrology, A Kali Temple in Libra the Sign of the Angels,Meenakshi Aman Temple in astrogeography, The Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, Jokhang Temple in the Tibetan capital Lhasa,Gemini & Virgo Samye Gompa the oldest monastery in Tibet, The White Horse Temple – The first Buddhist Temple in China, The 2015 Ratchaprasong bombing in astrogeography, Murugan – A god of War in Aries the sign of Warfare