The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
हलेसी महादेव
Khotang, Koshi · 27.1901°, 86.6224°
A natural cave sanctuary in Khotang, sacred at once to Hindus as a seat of Mahadev, to Buddhists as the Maratika cave, and to the Kirat peoples, and often called 'the Pashupatinath of the east'. It appears in Himalayan literature from the twelfth century onwards; Buddhist accounts hold that Mandarava and Padmasambhava recovered terma concealed here by the dakini Sangwa Yeshe and attained the accomplishment of long life.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
Hindu tradition says Shiva took refuge in this cave while fleeing the demon Bhasmasur, one account holding that he remained hidden there for six thousand years.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…