A village south of the city
Pharping is a hillside town in the southern part of the Kathmandu Valley, roughly a half-day trip from the city centre depending on traffic. It has long been a centre for Newar Buddhist and Hindu devotion, and since the twentieth century it has also become well known as a base for Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and retreat communities. Its significance for Buddhists rests largely on a group of caves and shrines that tradition links with Padmasambhava, also called Guru Rinpoche, the Indian teacher who is honoured in Tibetan Buddhism for his role in establishing the Dharma in Tibet.
This article stays at a public, general level. The practices associated with these places include teachings and rites that are not open to outsiders and are not described here.
Padmasambhava in Tibetan tradition
According to Tibetan tradition, Padmasambhava was a master of tantric practice invited to Tibet in the eighth century. He is especially honoured in the Nyingma lineage, the oldest of the Tibetan schools, though respect for him extends across the Tibetan Buddhist world. Accounts of his life are largely devotional and blend history with legend, so exact details differ between sources. Readers who want the history of how the Dharma arrived in Tibet will find that topic better covered in the article on how Buddhism reaches Tibet.
What matters for Pharping is that many Tibetan traditions regard it as one of the places where Padmasambhava is said to have engaged in meditation retreat on the road between India and Tibet, and where he is believed to have attained a major realisation. Pilgrims who go there are following that tradition, not a documented archaeological record.
The caves of Pharping
Two sets of sites are most often mentioned by visitors.
The Asura Cave (Asura Guha) is built into the hillside just above the village and attached to a small temple and monastery. In tradition, it is the place where Padmasambhava practised a meditation associated with the wrathful deity Vajrakilaya (Vajrakila) and overcame obstacles. Pilgrims commonly describe a rock face with a mark that is said to be a handprint or body impression; whether to believe this literally is a matter of faith, and visitors need not hold the same view to be respectful. The cave interior can be low, dark and cramped, and entry is often limited to particular times or conditions.
Yangleshö, a short distance from Pharping, is another cave site linked to Padmasambhava and to the attainment of the Mahamudra stage of realisation, according to tradition. The cave and its surrounding temple are used as a place of practice, and tradition and available accounts differ on some specifics.
In both places, the caves are not tourist attractions in the sense of a staged exhibit. They are active shrines, and sections may be reserved for practitioners or closed during retreats or ceremonies.
Why the caves matter for pilgrimage
In Vajrayana, a place associated with the practice or realisation of a great teacher is regarded as having special blessing, and pilgrims visit to pay respect, make offerings, recite prayers and meditate. That is the logic behind pilgrimage to the Pharping caves. Similar thinking applies to other Himalayan sites linked to Padmasambhava, and to the idea of hidden sacred valleys, called beyul in Tibetan tradition, where he is said to have concealed teachings for the future.
Visits are often structured around circumambulation of the cave temples, prostrations, butter lamp offerings and recitation of mantras. Many Tibetan Buddhists consider certain days of the lunar calendar especially favourable for visiting. Dates and the exact calendar used differ between communities, so check locally rather than assuming.
Pharping also has an important Hindu aspect. The nearby Sheshnarayan temple and a nearby temple of Dakshinkali, a goddess shrine famous for animal sacrifice on certain days, draw large Hindu crowds. The proximity shows again the shared landscape of the valley, which is explained in the pillar on the Kathmandu Valley Buddhist sites. Visitors with an interest in Buddhist sites may wish to avoid confusion between the Buddhist cave shrines and the Hindu temples nearby.
Visiting respectfully
- Dress modestly, remove shoes before temple and cave entrances, and follow the instructions of caretakers.
- Walk clockwise around shrines and stupas, the direction other pilgrims follow.
- Keep voices low. Some caves are used for silent meditation, and visitors may be asked to leave if a practice session begins.
- Ask before taking photographs, and do not photograph people at prayer. Some shrines forbid photography entirely.
- Offerings such as a butter lamp or small donation are normal, but they are voluntary. The guidance on shrine offerings gives general principles.
- Do not touch the cave walls, statues or ritual objects unless invited to, and avoid pointing your feet at images.
- Do not ask monks or retreatants about private practices or the contents of restricted rituals.
If you have a bad knee, claustrophobia or breathing problems, the narrow steps and low passages may be difficult. The slopes above Pharping are steep. Seek advice from a doctor before travelling if you have any health condition, and do not enter a space you feel unsafe in.
Practical notes
Access is usually by road from Kathmandu, and conditions vary with traffic, roadworks and season. Opening times, fees, permission for visitors and closure for retreats or festivals change, so check current information locally. Pharping is sometimes visited alongside Namobuddha, another Buddhist pilgrimage place, which is described in the article on Pharping and Namobuddha. They lie in different directions from the city, so make sure you plan realistic travel times.
This article gives general cultural information only. Practice varies by lineage and community, and the traditions about these caves are held by the communities that care for them.