Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath is the most important temple to Shiva in Nepal and one of the most important in the Hindu world, standing on the banks of the Bagmati on the eastern edge of Kathmandu. The gilded pagoda at the centre, with its silver-plated doors, is closed to non-Hindus - but the complex around it is open and is where most of what you have come to see happens: the ashrams and rest houses, the Guhyeshwari temple, the long row of stone Shiva lingams on the eastern bank, the terraces above the river and the forest of macaques behind. Cremations take place on the ghats throughout the day, in the open, as they have for centuries. It is neither hidden nor performed for visitors, and it is watched quietly from the far bank and photographed sparingly or not at all; your guide will tell you where it is appropriate to stand. Sadhus, the ash-covered ascetics who live at the site, are part of the scene and will generally pose for a photograph in exchange for a note. A guide is genuinely necessary here more than anywhere else in Nepal - without one it is a confusing and slightly overwhelming place. If the timing suits we stay for the evening arati on the riverbank, when lamps are floated on the water.