Pharping (or Phamting) is a small

Newar Newar (; , endonym: Newa; , Pracalit script: ), or Nepami, are primarily inhabitants in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and its surrounding areas, and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. Page 15. Newars are a distinct linguisti ...

town lying above the

Bagmati river The Bagmati River flows through the Kathmandu valley of Nepal, separating the cities of Kathmandu and Patan, before flowing through Madesh Province of southern Nepal and joining the Kamla River in the Indian state of Bihar. It is considered ...

on the southern edge of the Kathmandu valley, about 23 km from the capital. It is now part of the Dakshinkali Municipality. The town and its environs is the site of several important Buddhist pilgrimage sites as well as a number of Buddhist monasteries and meditation retreat centres. About 1 km south of the town is the Dakshinkali Temple, one of the main Hindu temples of Nepal dedicated to the mother goddess

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

. Pharping is also the site of the oldest hydroelectric power station in Nepal which is now a living museum.

Buddhist pilgrimage places

Phamting Vajrayogini temple

This temple, dedicated to

Vajrayogini Vajrayoginī (; , Dorjé Naljorma) is an important figure in Buddhism, especially revered in Tibetan Buddhism. In Vajrayana she is considered a female Buddhahood, Buddha and a . Vajrayoginī is often described with the epithet ''sarvabuddhaḍā ...

, is located on the side of the hill between the Yanglesho caves and the town of Pharping. It is one of the main Newar Buddhist Vajrayogini temples of the

Nepal mandala Nepal Mandala () is the ancient geographic division of Nepal into different regions. It was characterized by three major divisions: “ Purwanchal” (Eastern Region), “ Madhyamanchal” (Central Region), and “ Pashchimanchal” (Western Re ...

which include the Sankhu Vajrayogini, Vidhyeshvari Vajrayogini, Phamting Vajrayogini, Guhyeshwari and the Pulchowk Khagayogini temples. It is said to have been established by the Pamtingpa brothers, two important disciples of the Buddhist

mahasiddha Mahasiddha (Sanskrit: ''mahāsiddha'' "great adept; ) is a term for someone who embodies and cultivates the "siddhi of perfection". A siddha is an individual who, through the practice of sādhanā, attains the realization of siddhis, psychic and ...

Naropa Nāropā (Prakrit; , Naḍapāda or Abhayakirti) was an Indian Buddhism, Buddhist Mahasiddha. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. As an Indian Mahasiddha, Naropa's instructions inform ...

and Maitripada. The present structure probably dates to the 17th century and has been renovated.

Yanglesho cave

Yangleshö cave (Tib. , Wyl. ) is located about ten minutes walk before the town of Pharping. Near the road, there are several large ponds and shrines dedicated to

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

in the form of Shesha Narayan which are located just below the sacred cave of Yangleshö and there is a flight of stairs leading up to the cave. It is said that Guru Padmasambhava in the form of Dorje Tötreng Tsal and his consort, the Princess Shakyadevi, meditated in this small cave on the Tantra of Yangdak (Skt. Vishuddha) Heruka and realized the

siddhi In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of Yoga, yogic advancement through sādhanās such as medit ...

mahāmudrā Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit: महामुद्रा, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of Prajnaparamita, wisdom and Śūnyatā, empti ...

. To the right of this cave is a small retreat monastery, Rigdzin Drubpe Gatsal Ling, which was established by the Nyingmapa yogin Chatral Sangye Dorje who stayed here many years. This monastery is dedicated to the meditation practices of the Longchen Nyingthig tradition.

Asura cave

The Asura Cave is located slightly south of and above Pharping, close to Pema Ösel Ling Monastery. It is said that Padmasambhava meditated here and accomplished Vajrakilaya.

Buddhist monasteries

Neydo Tashi Chöling Monastery

Neydo Tashi Chöling is a large monastery housing about 200 monks, located at Setidevi Bhanjyang on the outskirts of Pharping. The monastery was established in 2006 by the seventh Karma Chagme

Tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibet ...

, (1926-2013). It belongs to the Neydo sub-sect of the

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, M ...

tradition which was founded in Tibet by the first

Karma Chagme The name Karma Chagme refers to a 17th-century Tibetan Buddhist (Vajrayāna) lama and to the tülku (reincarnate lama) lineage which he initiated. Including the first, seven Karma Chagme tülkus have been recognized. The Neydo Kagyu () sub-school ...

, Rāga Asya (1613-1678). This monastery also runs a guest house which is located next to the monastery.

Palyul Samten Ösel Ling

The Palyul retreat centre of Samten Ösel Ling, which belongs to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, was founded in 1996, blessed in 1997 by Drubwng Pema Norbu Rinpoche in 1997, and consecrated by Chatral Sangye Dorje on 4 July 1998. The monastery is currently headed by Khenchen Namdrol Tsering Rinpoche.

Tegchen Leksheyling Retreat Centre

This is a small closed retreat centre for nuns, established by Karma Thinley Rinpoche which is located near the Benchen Shedra and retreat centre in Pharping. This retreat centre is affiliated with Rinpoche's Tegchen Leksheyling nunnery near

Boudhanath Boudha Stupa (; Newari: खास्ति चैत्य); or Jarung Kashor (''Let it be done, Slip of the tongue'')(, ), also known as Khasti Chaitya or Khāsa Chaitya, is a stupa and major spiritual landmarkSamye Translations, "Boudha: The G ...

. Here nuns practice the traditional three years, three months, three days meditation retreat – or shorter six month retreats dedicated to the practice of Yajrayogini.

Hindu temples

Dakshinkali Temple

Dakshinkali Temple, located about 1 kilometre before the town of Pharping, is one of the main temples in Nepal dedicated to the fierce mother goddess Kali. Animal sacrifices, particularly of cockerels and uncastrated male goats, are one of the main ways that the goddess is worshipped here, and this is especially seen during the

Dashain Dashain or Bada'dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a Hindu religious festival in Nepal, Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, South India, and Sri Lanka. It is also celebrated by other religions in Nepal and elsewhere, including the Lho ...

festival.

Setidevi Temple

Sheshnarayan Temple

This temple and ponds, located just below the Yanglesho cave, is one of the four main

Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is also known as Pu ...

temples of the

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley (), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley (, Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayas, Hima ...

. The other three are Icchangu Narayan, Bishanku Narayan and Changu Narayan. These temples, which stand in the four cardinal directions of the valley, are believed to be built during the reign of the Licchavi king Vishnugupta. Their locations in the cardinal directions and on hilltops was to protect the Kathmandu Valley.

Pharping hydropower station

Pharping Hydro Power was established in 1911 as Chandrajyoti Hydro-electric power station by Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. In 2010, it was declared a "living museum" by the Government of Nepal and was opened to the public. The reservoir still supplies drinking water to parts of Lalitpur.

References

External links

Asura Cave & YangleshöPharping
- at Nepal Power Places

{{coord, 27, 36, N, 85, 16, E, display=title, region:NP_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in Kathmandu District Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal Tourist attractions in Nepal