Travel Guide Pharping

Just before reaching Pharping, the white temple of Sesh Narayan, on the right, is both Hindu and Buddhist. Hindus venerate Vishnu, creator of the universe, and the serpent Ananta (or Sesh) is symbolized by the sacred fish pond lining the road. The stelae depicting Vishnu metamorphosed into a Varana dwarf date from the Lichavi period (7th-8th century). The site, intimately linked to nature, is ideal for meditation. A few steps lead to the temple and cave of Yanglesheu, revered by Buddhists for having sheltered the tantric sage Padmasambhava during his victory over the Naga. Adjacent is a Tibetan monastery of the Nyingmapa order, still in operation. A few hundred metres further on, the lively village of Pharping appears, a stopover for pilgrims on their way to Dakshinkali. Outside the village is a small shrine dedicated to Tara, whose image carved into the rock is said to have appeared miraculously. Up a path to the left, you'll come to a Tibetan monastery containing the cave where Padmasambhava subdued the demons in the form of Vajrakilaya. Below is another, more cramped cave, symbolizing Padmasambhava's throne and vajra. Above, banners hanging from trees mark the cave of Goraknath, a great sage whose cult had spread as far as Gorkha before the unification of Nepal. From the top of the hill, the view of the snow-capped peaks and the valley is superb.