ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Om namo bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om, salutations to the Lord, Vasudeva.
The twelve-syllable mantra, Dvadashakshara, from the Bhagavata Purana
The mantra Dhruva is given in the Bhagavata Purana, and the one most Vaishnava pilgrims carry to Muktinath. Twelve syllables, counted on a tulsi mala.
शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् । लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥
Shantakaram bhujaga-shayanam padmanabham suresham vishvadharam gagana-sadrisham megha-varnam shubhangam | Lakshmi-kantam kamala-nayanam yogibhir dhyana-gamyam vande Vishnum bhava-bhaya-haram sarva-lokaika-natham ||
Peaceful in form, resting on the serpent, the lotus rising from his navel, lord of the gods; support of the universe, vast as the sky, cloud-dark and beautiful; beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation. I bow to Vishnu, who takes away the fear of this world, the one lord of every realm.
Vishnu Dhyana Shloka, recited before Vishnu Sahasranama
The verse that fixes the image in the mind before the thousand names are recited.
ॐ नारायणाय विद्महे वासुदेवाय धीमहि । तन्नो विष्णुः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Narayanaya vidmahe Vasudevaya dhimahi | tanno Vishnuh prachodayat ||
May we know Narayana, may we meditate on Vasudeva. May Vishnu set us in motion.
Vishnu Gayatri
Muktinath is the centre of the Vaishnava route through Nepal. It sits at 3,710 metres in Mustang, behind the Annapurna range and inside its rain shadow, which is why the landscape turns from forest to high desert on the way up. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, and it is sacred to Buddhists as Chumig Gyatsa in the same breath.
March to June and September to November are the reliable windows. Muktinath is in the rain shadow, so the monsoon matters less there than on the flight in, and it is the Pokhara to Jomsom leg that gets cancelled.
The temple stays open through winter, but December to February is bitter and the road can close with snow. Rishi Panchami and Janai Purnima, in August and September, draw the largest crowds of pilgrims.
Most journeys fly Pokhara to Jomsom early in the morning, then drive or walk the last stretch to Ranipauwa below the temple. The Kali Gandaki wind gets up around eleven, so flights are scheduled at dawn and cancelled rather than flown late.
The road from Beni is now driveable the whole way and is the fallback when flights do not go. It is a long day on a rough surface, and a jeep is more comfortable than a bus by a wide margin.
Helicopter charters reach Muktinath directly from Kathmandu or Pokhara and are the usual answer for pilgrims who cannot manage the walk or the altitude gain.
The 108 water spouts behind the temple are fed from the Gandaki and are bathed under in sequence, spout by spout, however cold. Pilgrims then bathe in the two kunda in front of the temple.
Jwala Mai, the small shrine beside the temple, holds a natural gas flame burning over water. It is the reason the site is counted as a place where all five elements are visible at once.
Shaligram, the black ammonite fossils found in the Kali Gandaki, are treated as aniconic forms of Vishnu. Taking them out of Nepal is restricted, so buy nothing you have not asked about.
Muktinath is high enough to affect people, especially those who fly in from Kathmandu at 1,300 metres and reach 3,710 metres the same morning. A helicopter darshan that lands, waits and leaves keeps the exposure short, which is part of why it is offered.
If you are walking, the gain from Jomsom is manageable in a day for most people, but it is worth a night at Kagbeni or Jharkot rather than pushing straight up.
A towel and a change of clothes for the spouts. Mustang is cold in the mornings whatever the season, and the water comes off the mountain.
Sun protection matters more here than the temperature suggests. The valley is bright, dry and dusty, and a scarf for the afternoon wind is worth more than a jacket.
22 daysTwenty-two days overland through the Vaishnav traditions of Nepal, from the Char Narayan temples to Janakpur, Muktinath and Ridi
The Nepal Vaishnav Yatra is a 22-day private pilgrimage from Kathmandu across Nepal by private vehicle: the Char Narayan temples, Budhanilkantha and Krishna Mandir in the Kathmandu Valley, the Janaki Mandir and Dhanushadham at Janakpur, Chitwan, Tal Barahi in Pokhara, Kagbeni and Muktinath in Mustang at 3,710 metres, and the Rishikesh temple at Ridi. Sama Yatra runs it on any date a group asks for, with an English-speaking pilgrimage guide, 3-star hotels and vegetarian meals, from USD 2,550 per person for a group of 25 or more.
From $2,550
8 daysEight days from Kathmandu to Muktinath and back, with no trekking at all
The Muktinath Yatra by Road is an 8-day journey from Kathmandu to Muktinath Temple at 3,710 metres in Mustang, travelling entirely by road through Pokhara, with evening aarti at Pashupatinath and at Muktinath. It needs no trekking and is priced from USD 500 per person for a group of 12 or more.
From $500
6 daysSix days, and a morning flight from Pokhara to the temple of liberation
The Muktinath Helicopter Tour is a 6-day journey from Kathmandu that flies by helicopter from Pokhara to Muktinath Temple at 3,710 metres and back in a single morning, with Kathmandu and Pokhara sightseeing either side. It is priced from USD 2,200 per person for a group of 12 or more.
From $2,200
8 daysEight days by air, chartered helicopter and private car, with Nagarkot and Bhaktapur on the way home
The Luxury Muktinath Tour is an 8-day pilgrimage from Kathmandu that flies to Pokhara, takes a chartered helicopter to Muktinath Temple at 3,710 metres, and returns by way of Nagarkot and Bhaktapur, staying in luxury hotels and lodges throughout. It is priced from USD 4,200 per person for 5 to 8 travellers to USD 3,600 for a group of 17 or more.
From $3,600
12 daysTwelve days: Muktinath, Lumbini, Chitwan and the Trishuli, all by road
The Nepal Cultural, Spiritual and Wildlife Tour is a 12-day overland journey that takes in Kathmandu, Muktinath Temple, Pokhara, Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, and Chitwan National Park, with a final night on the Trishuli river. It is priced from USD 1,000 per person for a group of 21 or more.
From $1,000
3 daysNarayan, Vishnu and Krishna: three days at the Vaishnav temples of the Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Vaishnav Darshan is a 3-day private pilgrimage by road to six Vaishnav temples of the Kathmandu Valley: the four Char Narayan temples, the reclining Vishnu of Budhanilkantha and Krishna Mandir in Patan. Sama Yatra runs it on any date a group asks for, with a private vehicle, an English-speaking pilgrimage guide, two nights in a 3-star Kathmandu hotel and vegetarian meals, from USD 170 per person for a group of 21 or more.
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Two days to the four shrines of Lord Narayan around the Kathmandu Valley
The Char Narayan Pilgrimage is a 2-day private tour by road from Kathmandu to the four Narayan temples of the Kathmandu Valley: Changu Narayan, Ichangu Narayan, Bishankhu Narayan in Godawari and Shesh Narayan at Pharping. Sama Yatra runs it on any date a group asks for, with a private vehicle, an English-speaking pilgrimage guide, one night in a 3-star Kathmandu hotel and vegetarian meals, from USD 120 per person for a group of 21 or more.
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2 daysTwo days with Lord Ram and Mother Sita in Janakpur, the heart of Mithila
The Ram–Sita Janakpur Yatra is a 2-day private pilgrimage from Kathmandu to Janakpur, by a flight of about 25 minutes or a drive of about 6 hours, for darshan at the Janaki Mandir, the Ram Mandir and the Vivaha Mandap and a visit to Dhanushadham. Sama Yatra runs it on any date a group asks for, with an English-speaking pilgrimage guide, one night in a 3-star hotel and vegetarian meals, from USD 180 per person for a group of 21 or more.
From $180
Three days with Lord Baraha, the Varaha incarnation of Vishnu, where the Koshi meets the Koka
The Barah Kshetra Vishnu Yatra is a 3-day private pilgrimage from Kathmandu to Barah Kshetra in Sunsari, eastern Nepal, by a flight of about 35 minutes to Biratnagar and then by road. Barah Kshetra, one of the Char Dham of Nepal, is the temple of Lord Baraha, the Varaha incarnation of Vishnu, at the confluence of the Koshi and Koka rivers. Sama Yatra runs it on any date a group asks for, from USD 270 per person for the land arrangements, for a group of 12 or more, with the return flights and the private vehicle added to that.
From $270
