Sundari Mai Temple

As you walk a little ahead of The Scout Training Center, you will come to a crossroad. Take left for Panipokhari, and take the right path for the famous Sundari Mai Temple. Once you take the turn, keep straight until you reach the final crossroad and then take another right. Go down the flight of stairs and you'll witness a small temple on the right side. Yes, that's the Sundari Mai Temple! With the serene river that's flowing to your left, this temple would definitely be an interesting little detour to visit. Painted in bright red with yellow gate bars, as you peep inside this small temple, you will notice many statues of Lord Shiva decorated with small, bright ritual bells, flowers, cloths, and incense. Especially visible is the Lord Shiva's Trishul, the trident of the Lord of Destruction. An interesting fact about this temple is that during major festivals at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, such as the Maha Shivaratri, devotees of Lord Shiva walk all the way from the Pashupatinath Temple to this spot to collect the water here. They then take the water all the way back to Pashupatinath to offer it to Lord Shiva. The round trip is about 25 kilometers!!! With a wide range of religious importance and scenic views, this temple also features in a really famous Hindu myth. As the legend goes, Sati Devi, one of the goddesses in Hindu religion, was the better half of Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva was insulted by Sati's father, Sati sacrificed her life in a burning fire. Enraged and saddened, Lord Shiva took Sati's dead body on his shoulders and just walked. Her body parts would then fall off on different parts of the earth and this spot is supposed to be one of the places one of her body parts fell. Well, the most interesting part is that the word 'Sundari' means 'Beautiful' in Nepali and according to the sacred books, Sati was considered as the most beautiful maiden in the entire universe at that time. Shame she had to end that way.