Muktinath, a village and temple with the same name, is located at an altitude of 3,800 meters in the Mustang district of Nepal. Muktinath lies at the foothills of the Thorong La Mountain, which is also a fraction of the Himalayas. The shrine of Muktinath above Thak Khola is one of the major pilgrimages for the Hindus and Buddhists of the religion. For the Hindus, the place is a “Mukti Chhetra” meaning the "place of salvation". For the Buddhists, Muktinath is the Chumig Gyatsa which in Tibetan means 'Hundred Waters', a very important place of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers and one of the 24 Tantric places.
Muktinath temple is also one of the eight most sacred shrines for Hindu Vaishnavas of the order Svayam Vyakta Ksetras. Hindus also worship the shrine of Muktinath as the manifestation of the God Vishnu. The idol is of human size and is made from gold. Another important part of the shrine is the Prakaram, the 108 bull faces pouring very cold water. Interestingly, an old Buddhist monk and Buddhist nuns present in the temple conduct the worshiping of the idol.
Cycling in Muktinath you can take 3–4 days from Jomson continues to Muktiath to end in Beni Our itinerary brings you from Pokhara to Jomsom, cycling to Muktinath valley. Explore the pilgrim side and bike to Tatopani (hot spring). Continued rides to Benin and Pokhara.
