Guru Rinpoche Pilgrimage Tour in Nepal - 10 Days

Guru Rinpoche another name Guru Padmasambhava is second Buddha and great Buddhist master from eighth century having many spiritual aspects around Himalaya. He has visited many Himalayan region of Nepal and got enlightenment one of the cave. He introduce tantric Buddhism to the world. Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava has got eight forms as Guru Nyima Ozer, Guru Dorje Drola, Guru Orgyan Dorje Chang, Guru Shakya Senge, Guru Pema Gyalpo, Guru Pema Jungne, Guru Loden Chokse and Guru Senge Dradog. In our Guru Rinpoche Tour we includes the places where Guru Padmashanbhava (Guru Rinpoche) meditated and now worshipping as pilgrimage sides.

Inside Kathmandu valley we visit Bouddhanath and Swoyambhunath stupas. The huge Buddhist stupa are UNESCO heritage sites and biggest Buddhist stupa in Asia. A giant Mandala shape Bodhhanath stupa is home of Tibetan Buddhism and hundreds of other Monasteries around it. Swoyambhunath stupa on top of the hillside of Kathmandu is Historical Buddhist stupa as per records found on a stone inscription give evidence that the stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century AD.

Yampi Mahavihar temple in Patan built 2200 years ago. This is the first place where Guru Rinpoche lived in Nepal. Before that, he had been staying in the charnel grounds. So this temple is the first temple where Guru Rinpoche lived. As soon as Guru Rinpoche settled here, the eighty-four mahasiddhas from India arrived as well and they brought with them a wealth of tantras, tantric scriptures. It is said there were many treasures and treasure teachings in this place.  Likewise, it is said that if you make prayers here at this place to never be reborn in hell your prayers will be accomplished, and all obstacles will be dispelled. Everything you pray for in this place will be fulfilled. It is also said that the eighty-four mahasiddhas reached enlightenment here. So it is a very blessed place.

Asura Cave, the place of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava). This is a single most sacred site connected with Guru Rinpoche outside Tibet. For centuries, devotees have travelled to the two main caves here, Asura and Yanglesho, to offer homage at the place where the lotus born gained the Siddhi of Mahamudra.     

Namobuddha Thrangu Tashi Monastery
Thrangu Tashi Monastery Namo Buddha: According to the old legend, 6000 years ago, prince (Mahasatwo/Ngingdui Tshenpo), at the top of the hill, looking the jungle, discovers a tigress lying near the rock. Very quickly, he realizes that the tigress was about to die due to hunger with her five little babies still sucking milk from her, survivals of the babies depend on their mother. Mahasatwo, decides to give his life to the tigress in a bust of love and compassion. So Prince Mahasatwo cuts his body to present his warm blood in the mouth of the mother tiger, and the taste of blood gives the appetite to the starving family. As the tigress accepts the sacrifice from prince she leaves only the bones. The bones of prince were brought back in the village and buried in the tomb which is actual stupa of Namo Buddha. Some about 3500 years later, the Gautam Buddha came in the village of Sange da Fyafulsa, He conducts 3 tour around the Stupa before he declared that he was the reincarnation of prince Mahasatwo. It was the moment that Gautam Buddha renamed this village which is henceforth the name of Namo Buddha which means Homage to Buddha.

Timal The site where the venerated Padmasambhav meditated before moving on the Pharping, Timal is dotted with religious sites and peculiar caves that commemorate where the ‘second Buddha’ meditated. One of the several caves in Timal, where Padmasambhav is said to have meditated. Timal is also popular for the Buddhist prayer beads called Bodhichitta, which can find only in this village.

Maratika Cave (Halesi Mahadev) where Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava attends hidden treasure of longevity teaching of Buddha Amitabha. According to Wikipedia, Mandarava and Padmasambhava realised a number of terma that had been elementally encoded in the cave by Dakini Sangwa Yeshe. These terma number among the longevity teachings of Buddha Amitabha, and were given at the behest of Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara. It is here, at the cave, that Mandarava and Padmasambhava attained the Vidyadhara of longevity (or long life).

Muktinath Tibetan name for Muktinath is Chumig Gyatsa, which means “The Hundred Springs.” For both Tibetan Buddhists and the Himalayan Buddhists of Nepal, it is venerated as one of the 24 places where Guru Rinpoche practiced in the 8th century on his way from India to Tibet, and is a very important place where dakinis (dancing goddesses who are manifestations of energy in space) are said to reside. The nuns of Chumig Gyatsa are also considered to be dakinis, being the offspring of the females who lived there during Guru Rinpoche’s time and were taught by him; when the time came for him to leave, he built a statue in his own image, which resides in the Mharme Lhakhang Gompa and is tended by the nuns to this day. A Buddhist monk present worship in the temple.