What is the sthala katha — the legend — of Guhyeshwari Temple?

Late medieval · Hindu · Nepal

Guhyeshwari Temple

गुह्येश्वरी

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province · 27.7123°, 85.3568°

Guhyeshwari (Guhyakali), a form of the Great Goddess; consort of PashupatiMalla—Shakti Peetha

Sacred since

1600 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

17th c. renovation (Pratap Malla)

Malla

History & significance

A Shakta pitha on the southern bank of the Bagmati inside the Pashupatinath precinct of Kathmandu, and one of the most important shrines in Nepal for Tantric practitioners. King Pratap Malla is credited with renovating it in the 17th century.

Sthala katha — the legend

Tradition holds that the goddess Sati's rectum fell here when Shiva carried her body across the earth; Vajrayana Buddhists identify the same spot with Vajrayogini and with the root of the mythical lotus that bore the Swayambhu stupa.

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