108 - Divya Desams - Muktinath, Saligramam Nepal

108 - Divya Desams -

Divya Desams refer to the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints). Divya in the Tamil language indicates "premium" and Desam indicates "place" (temple). Of the 108 temples, 105 are located in India, one in Nepal and two outside of the Earthly realms. Most of the Divya Desams follow the Thenkalai Sampradayam, the prominent one's being Sri Rangam (Pancharatra Agama), and Thiruvallikeni(Vaikhanasa Agama). There are Divya Desams which follow the Vadakalai Sampradayam as well, which include Thiruvelliyangudi (Vaikhanasa Agama), and Thiruvanthipuram (Pancharatra Agama).

The Divya Desams are revered by the 12 Azhvars in the Divya Prabandha, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses. Lord Shiva, the other major deity inHinduism, is similarly associated with the Paadal Petra Sthalams, 275 Shiva temples which are praised in the Tevaram canon by the 63 Nayanars.

 

 Muktinath, Saligramam Nepal

Muktinath is a sacred place both for Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of theThorong La mountain pass (part of the Himalayas), Mustang district, Nepal. The site is close to the village of Ranipauwa, which sometimes mistakenly is called Muktinath as well.

The Hindus call the sacred place Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the "place of liberation or moksha". Mainly the temple is with a predominant Sri Vaishnava origin and worshipped by Buddhists. This temple is considered to be the 105th among the available 108 Divya Desam. The ancient name of this place, before Buddhist origin is known as Thiru Saligramam. This houses the Saligrama sila considered to be the naturally available form of Sriman Narayana ^[1]- the Hindu God HEAD. It is also one of the 51 Sakthi peetams.^[2] The Buddhists call itChumig Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means 'Hundred Waters'. For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa is a very important place ofDakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers and one of the 24 Tantric places. They understand the murti to be a manifestation ofAvalokitesvara.