Sacred Trails: Walking as Pilgrimage in Nepal
Long before anyone came to Nepal to trek, people were already walking these trails. They were not walking for views or photos. They were walking to pray.
Hindu pilgrims walked for days to holy lakes and temples. Buddhist monks and yogis walked to caves to meditate. Traders, farmers and whole families walked to monasteries for festivals. For them, the walk itself was part of the prayer.
Today most people come as trekkers. But I believe anyone can still walk these trails as a pilgrim, whatever they believe. A pilgrim is simply someone who walks with an open heart, and who knows that the place is more important than the person arriving.
This page is about some of the sacred places I walk to, and what they mean to the people who live around them.
Walking as a pilgrim, not a tourist
What is the difference? The trail is the same. The difference is inside.
A tourist asks, “What can I see here?” A pilgrim asks, “What is this place, and how should I be here?”
A tourist walks to reach the end. A pilgrim knows that every step, every village, and every person on the way is part of the journey.
Many people who come to Nepal have walked the Camino de Santiago, or other long pilgrim paths. They often tell me the Himalaya feels familiar in the heart: the long days, the simple food and beds, the strangers who become friends, and the feeling that something is changing inside while the feet are walking.
Muktinath: where Hindus and Buddhists pray together
High on the Annapurna Circuit, at about 3,710 metres, below the Thorong La pass, is Muktinath. It is one of the most sacred places in Nepal, holy for both Hindus and Buddhists.
For Hindus, Muktinath is a place of mukti, liberation. Pilgrims bathe under the 108 water spouts behind the temple, in ice-cold water, to wash away their sins. Many come from India and all over Nepal, some very old, some walking with great difficulty, because they believe the journey is worth it.
For Buddhists, it is Chumig Gyatsa, the place of a hundred springs, where a small flame burns from the ground near water. Earth, water and fire in one place. Guru Rinpoche is believed to have meditated here.
It is beautiful to see: a Hindu priest and a Buddhist nun, praying in the same small place, in peace.
You can read about the whole journey in my Annapurna Circuit story.
Gosainkunda: the lake of Shiva
In the Langtang region, at around 4,380 metres, lies the holy lake of Gosainkunda.
Hindu legend says that when the god Shiva drank poison to save the world, his throat burned. To cool it, he struck the mountain with his trident, and water came out and made this lake. Many pilgrims believe that bathing here washes away sins.
During the full moon of Janai Purnima, usually in August, thousands of pilgrims walk up to the lake, even in the monsoon rain, to bathe and pray. Shamans, called jhakri, come too, drumming and dancing through the night.
Outside the festival, Gosainkunda is very quiet. Just the lake, the cold wind, and the mountains reflected in the water.
Tengboche: the heart of the Khumbu
On the way to Everest Base Camp, the trail climbs to Tengboche Monastery, at about 3,867 metres, the most important Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu region.
Behind it stands Ama Dablam, and on a clear day Everest itself. But for the Sherpa people, the monastery is more important than any mountain view. Before climbing, many mountaineers and Sherpa climbers come here to receive blessings from the lama.
If you are lucky to be there in the late afternoon, you can sit in the prayer hall while the monks chant. You don’t need to understand the words. Just sit quietly and listen.
In autumn, around October or November, the monastery celebrates Mani Rimdu, with masked dances and blessings.
You can read more about this trail in my honest guide to the Everest Base Camp trek.
Tsum Valley: the hidden valley
In the Manaslu region, there is a valley that many people call hidden, and in the Buddhist tradition it truly is. Tsum Valley is known as Beyul Kyimolung, one of the sacred hidden valleys Guru Rinpoche is believed to have blessed as places of peace and practice.
The people of Tsum have kept their Buddhist way of life for centuries. For about a hundred years, they have followed a vow not to hunt or kill animals in the valley.
Near the village of Chhekampar is a cave where the great yogi Milarepa is said to have meditated. At the end of the valley, near the Tibetan border, is Mu Gompa, and on the way is Rachen Gompa, a nunnery where nuns study and practice.
Walking in Tsum feels different. The mani walls are long, the chortens are everywhere, and the silence is deep.
Lo Manthang: the old walled city
In Upper Mustang, beyond the high desert and red cliffs, is the old walled city of Lo Manthang, once the capital of the Kingdom of Lo.
Inside its walls are old monasteries with beautiful wall paintings, many centuries old and carefully restored in recent years. The people here still live close to Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and every spring they celebrate the Tiji Festival, three days of masked dances about the victory of good over evil.
Other sacred places on the trails
There are many more. A few I think about often:
- Pangboche, one of the oldest monasteries in the Khumbu region
- Milarepa’s Cave near Manang, on the Annapurna Circuit, another place where the yogi is believed to have meditated
- Kagbeni, the green village where the Annapurna trail meets the gate of Upper Mustang
- Boudhanath and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, where many pilgrimages in Nepal begin and end
How to walk in sacred places
If you walk to these places, please remember that they are not museums. They are living places of prayer.
- Walk clockwise around stupas, chortens, mani walls and temples
- Take off your shoes and hat before entering prayer halls
- Ask before taking photos, and never use flash on old paintings
- Don’t touch statues, offerings or ritual objects
- Be quiet, especially during prayers
- Leave a small donation if you wish; it helps care for the monastery or temple
- Some Hindu temples don’t allow non-Hindus inside. Respect this, and watch from outside.
You can read more in my guide to Nepal trekking etiquette.
What the pilgrims taught me
I have walked beside many pilgrims on these trails. Old women going to Muktinath with sticks in their hands. Families climbing to Gosainkunda in the rain. Monks walking alone between monasteries with small bags.
They walk slower than trekkers. They carry much less. But they seem to arrive with more.
I think they understand something we forget: the mountains are not something to conquer. They are something to approach with respect, step by step, with a quiet heart.
That is how I try to walk, and how I invite you to walk too. You can read more about it in How I Walk.
If you feel called to walk one of these trails as a pilgrim, write to me. We can talk about which place is calling you.
With respect,
Rujan
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