Manakamana Temple, Gorkha

The Manakamana temple in Gorkha, Nepal, is a popular destination for Hindu devotees. The temple is located on top of a hill, but accessibility has been improved with the addition of a modern cable car system. This cable car ferries travelers from the base station on the major highway to the temple premises in just over 10 minutes. The temple itself is a two-tiered pagoda in a large courtyard, and it houses the enshrined form of the goddess Manakamana in the shape of a large boulder.

The temple lies in Gorkha from where the unification of Nepal started under King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Especially Saturdays and Tuesdays see maximum rush when it takes hours just to get a glimpse of the goddess in the temple. One can have panoramic views of the Manaslu and Annapurna peaks from the temple complex.There is the Bakreshwar Shiva Temple and Siddha Gufa (cave) at about an hour’s walk from the temple.