5/5 Satyanand S. 6 months ago on Google • 7 reviews
The
pilgrims
reached
Pulashram,
the
site
to
which
the
entire
13
day
Yatra
had
been
focussed.
It
was
here
that
Shree
Nilkanthvarni
performed
staunch
austerities
during
His
forest
expedition.
At
the
time,
He
was
merely
13
years
of
age.
He
stood
on
one
leg
with
His
arms
raised,
in
the
‘Tap
ni
Mala’
posture
for
the
duration
of
the
Chaturmas;
meaning,
He
stood
in
that
posture
for
four
months,
enduring
the
bitter
cold,
storms
and
rains.
The
sacred
divine
lotus
feet
of
the
Lord
under
an
ornamental
marble
canopy
(Chhatri)
have
been
installed
here,
as
a
remembrance
of
the
austerities
that
Shree
Nilkanthvarni
performed
at
this
exact
location.
A
marble
embossed
Murti
of
Shree
Nilkanthvarni
performing
the
austerities
is
also
installed.
Here,
Acharya
Swamiji
Maharaj,
sants
and
disciples
performed
the
mahapooja
to
Shree
Nilkanthvarni
and
offered
an
annakut
thaal,
before
performing
aarti.
Muktinath
A
short
distance
from
Pulashram
is
Muktinath.
Shree
Nilkanthvarni
visited
Muktinath
during
His
forest
expedition
and
remained
here
to
perform
austerities
for
over
6
months.
Muktinath
is
a
Vishnu
temple
located
in
the
Muktinath
Valley
at
the
foot
of
the
Thorong
La
mountain
pass
in
Mustang.
It
is
one
of
the
world's
highest
temples,
at
3,800
metres.
A
temple
has
been
said
to
exist
here
from
the
Satyug
era,
and
is
mentioned
in
many
of
the
ancient
Hindu
scriptures.
This
temple
is
considered
to
be
the
106th
of
the
108
sites
considered
sacred
by
the
Shree
Vaishnava
sect.
Its
ancient
name
in
Shree
Vaishnava
literature
is
Tiru
Shaligramam.
The
Gandaki
river,
which
flows
nearby,
is
considered
to
be
the
only
source
of
the
Shaligrama
shila,
the
representation
of
Lord
Shree
Vishnu.
The
outer
courtyard
of
the
Muktinath
temple
has
108
water
springs,
the
number
that
carries
great
significance
in
Hindu
philosophy.
These
108
streams
all
emerge
from
the
108
gaumukhi
(mouth
of
the
sacred
cow)
that
have
been
arranged
in
a
line.
Pilgrims
walk
along
the
line
of
springs
and
take
a
ritual
bath
in
the
freezing
cold
water.