Overview
On Kafaldada hill above the meeting of the Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers. The name means the wish of the heart, and it is among the most visited pilgrimage shrines in Nepal.
History
Traditional accounts place the founding in the seventeenth century, under Ram Shah. No Puranic or epic text is named in any source consulted, and the origin is a local royal legend, not scripture. A two-storey pagoda in traditional Nepalese style with an ambulatory passage, set in a square courtyard. 2015 earthquake. The 2015 earthquake left the structure tilted. Reconstruction ran from 2015 to 2018.
Spiritual Significance
Manakamana's standing rests on a tantric royal legend rather than a scriptural episode: the queen of the Gorkha king Ram Shah was believed to hold divine power, known only to her devotee, the priest Lakhan Thapa. The shrine that grew from that story became the great wish-granting site of central Nepal.
Prayers at Manakamana Temple
जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी
नमो नमो दुर्गे सुख करनी।नमो नमो अम्बे दुःख हरनी॥
अयि गिरिनन्दिनि नन्दितमेदिनि विश्वविनोदिनि नन्दिनुते गिरिवरविन्ध्यशिरोऽधिनिवासिनि विष्णुविलासिनि जिष्णुनुते।
ॐ अस्य श्रीचण्डीकवचस्यब्रह्मा ऋषिः अनुष्टुप् छन्दः
ॐ अस्य श्रीअर्गलास्तोत्रमन्त्रस्य विष्णुर्ऋषिः अनुष्टुप् छन्दः
सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये
Pilgrimage Information
No entry restriction on non-Hindus was documented in the sources consulted. Nepal restricts entry to several major temples, sometimes only to the inner sanctum and sometimes to the whole compound. Where this page records a restriction it is what sources state; where sources conflict it says so. Confirm locally before travelling a long way.
Sources
- Manakamana Temple other
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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