page_title: Pashupatinath Temple
section_title: Priest
hierarchical_section_title: Pashupatinath Temple / Priest
caption_attribution_description: English: Raghavendra Bhat (right) and Girish Bhatt in traditional Priestly uniform of Pashupatinath Temple
context_page_description: The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous and sacred Hindu temple complex that is located on the banks of the Bagmati River, approximately 5 km north-east of Kathmandu in the eastern part of Kathmandu Valley, the capital of Nepal. The temple serves as the seat of Pashupatinath. This temple complex
  was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list in 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as visit here.
  The temple is one of the 275 Tamil Paadal Petra Sthalams on the continent. Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.
context_section_description: The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 priests can touch the idol. Daily rituals of Pashupatinath are carried out by two sets of priests; one being the Bhatt priests and other Bhandari. Bhatta or Bhatt are the one who performs the daily ritual and can touch the lingam, whereas Bhandaris are the helper and temple caretaker priests who are not qualified to perform pooja rituals or to touch the deity.
caption: Raghavendra Bhat (right) and Girish Bhatt in traditional 4-5 kg heavy Priestly garb[10] of Pashupatinath Temple
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