Muktinath Temple, in Muktinath in Nepal, is a shrine to Vishnu, worshipped here as Muktinath (Lord of Liberation), with the site also revered for its self-manifest saligrama shila stones. It is also known as Chumig Gyatsa, Mukti Kshetra, Thiru Saligram.
Identified in Sri Vaishnava tradition as Thiru Saligram, one of the 108 Divya Desams, the sacred Vishnu temples glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham composed by the Alvar poet-saints, and the only Divya Desam located outside India. It is also one of the eight self-manifest (Svayam Vyakta) Vishnu shrines, and is separately revered by Hindus as one of the Shakti Pithas associated with the goddess Sati. Muktinath is a rare site of shared Hindu-Buddhist worship, with the adjoining Jwala Mai eternal flame and the 108 Mukti Dhara water spouts (said to channel waters symbolic of all 108 Divya Desams) central to its ritual significance for pilgrims seeking moksha (liberation). Muktinath's sanctity is recorded in Hindu scriptures including the Vishnu Purana's Gandaki Mahatmya, as well as the Ramayana, Varaha Purana and Skanda Purana, and Sri Vaishnava Alvar poet-saints including Thirumangai Alvar and Periyalvar composed verses in its honour.
Nepal carries a distinct temple identity of its own: Home to Pashupatinath, one of the holiest Shiva temples in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Darshan hours and daily worship
Published sources do not give a single clean daily window for this temple; see the notes below for what is documented.
Reported opening hours vary between travel sources (some cite roughly 5:00 AM to 8:30 PM, others a midday break around 12:00-1:00 PM); no official timetable was found, so exact hours are left blank rather than guessed. Pilgrims often plan for a full day given the altitude and travel from Jomsom.
History and architecture
Architecture
A simple pagoda-style Newari temple housing a gold Vishnu murti roughly life-sized in the sanctum. The temple courtyard is ringed by 108 bull-faced water spouts (Mukti Dhara) fed by a mountain stream, and two sacred ponds stand before it. The adjoining Jwala Mai shrine houses a natural flame fed by underground gas seeping through rock and water.
History
Muktinath's sanctity is recorded in Hindu scriptures including the Vishnu Purana's Gandaki Mahatmya, as well as the Ramayana, Varaha Purana and Skanda Purana, and Sri Vaishnava Alvar poet-saints including Thirumangai Alvar and Periyalvar composed verses in its honour. The current pagoda temple was built in the early 19th century, replacing or supplementing an older structure, since the Vishnu idol it enshrines is considered centuries older. Tibetan Buddhists know the site as Chumig Gyatsa ("Hundred Waters") and revere it as a place where the sage Padmasambhava is said to have meditated; it is counted among 24 tantric sacred sites and is seen as a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. The Kali Gandaki riverbed nearby is the principal source of shaligram stones, aniconic fossil representations of Vishnu.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Fly from Pokhara to Jomsom (around 20-25 minutes), then travel to Muktinath by jeep/bus (a road now connects Jomsom to Muktinath) or on foot via Kagbeni (roughly a 5 to 8 hour walk). Pokhara can also be reached by road from Kathmandu, and helicopter charters to Jomsom or Muktinath are available. A TIMS trekking permit and Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) entry permit are required for the surrounding conservation area.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. Location, elevation, Divya Desam status, the 108 water spouts, the Jwala Mai eternal flame, and the shared Hindu-Buddhist significance are well corroborated across Wikipedia, the Nepal Tourism Board, and multiple pilgrimage sources. The exact construction date of the current pagoda temple, precise daily timings, and entry fee figures vary or are unconfirmed across sources, so those fields are left blank or noted as approximate rather than stated as fact.