Significance of pathivara mata in hinduism

• Umesh Thapa
• Oct 29, 2025
• 275 views

Significance of pathivara mata in hinduism

Pathivara Mata is a famous pilgrimage site in the Taplejung district. Pathibhara Temple is an important religious site for Hindus and Buddhists. It is located at an altitude of 12,000 feet in the Taplejung district.

This holy site of Pathibhara Mata, the goddess of faith and purity, is located 19.4 km northeast of Phungling, the headquarters of Taplejung district, at an altitude of 3,794 m. It can be reached by walking for 1 day from Phungling Bazaar.

This temple is visited by devotees throughout the year. The goddess is born on the peak of the Pathibhara mountain, which is beautiful and charming like a full-grown pathi, and therefore the name of this goddess is called “Pathibhara Devi” with reverence and devotion.

The indigenous Limbu communities of Taplejung know Pathibhara as “Muktuka Bung.” In the Limbu language, “Muktua” means power or strength, and “Bung” means plant. That is, the Limbu people manifest Pathibhara as a source or path of power or strength.

Legends and Folklore About the Origin

There are many legends and folklore about the origin of the goddess Pathibhara Mata. It is said that in ancient times, the shepherds around Pathibhara had kept their sheepfolds in Pathibhara. One day, suddenly, in an unexpected way, the flocks of sheep in that fold disappeared.

The shepherds, who were shocked and distraught by such an unimaginable event, appeared to the shepherds at night, made them realize the place of their origin and form, and instructed them to worship her by sacrificing a sheep.

The shepherds, who had realized their true nature, worshipped the place where the form of the goddess appeared with devotion and sacrificed the thigh of the strongest sheep.

What was the sacrifice? Those hundreds of lost sheep appeared in their original place, and what was even more surprising was that as soon as the blood of the sacrificed sheep fell on the sacrifice site, it disappeared like water in the sand. Seeing this, the shepherds cheered the goddess.

What is noteworthy here is that hundreds of sheep, goats, and lambs are sacrificed to Goddess Pathibhara every day. But any devotee who is confined to the place of sacrifice can directly experience and observe the loss of blood. Considering the number of sacrifices offered to the goddess, a pool of blood should have accumulated here, but it does not.

For this reason, it is believed that the blood-red goddess Pathibhara accepts the sacrifices offered by the devotees with affection. Today, the glory of Goddess Pathibhara, faith in the goddess, and belief in the goddess have reached beyond the borders of villages, districts, and the country and even abroad.

As a result, thousands of devout devotees continue to come from the country and abroad to have darshan of the goddess.

Goddess of Faith and Supernatural Power

It has been mentioned above that Pathibhara Devi is the Goddess of Faith and Purity. Therefore, one should visit Pathibhara Dham as such. There is no caste, religion, or gender discrimination, and there are no restrictions to visiting the Dham.

“It is enough to have purity in mind and devotion to the Goddess, but if a pregnant woman, a woman who is menstruating (untouched or has moved away), a person with a beard, or a person with greed or sins in their mind goes to Pathibhara Dham, they will be destroyed and suffer great loss.”

Although animal sacrifice is not mandatory for Pathibhara Devi, it is considered very good to offer sacrifices. Those who do not slaughter animals offer delicious fruits and sweets to the goddess.

Pathibhara Devi is considered a symbol of unwavering good fortune. Therefore, all kinds of devout devotees also offer beauty products such as vermilion, tika, ghazal, kangio, etc. (as a kind of mandatory).

Pathivara Mata Origin

After walking steeply for about 2 hours from Phedi through the forest of Lekali Angeri, Gobresallo, Dhupi, Gurans, and Malingoghari, you will reach the western face of the hill where the temple of Pathibhara Devi is located.

At that time, it seems as if the Kumbhakarna Himal, which has been sitting in a pile of pieces, hastened to welcome you with all its snow ranges after hearing the news of your arrival. You may even feel a sudden jolt as if your own kum has collided with Kumbhakarna’s kum.

No matter how tired you are, you jump up and down to Kumbhakarna’s kum. The desire to play slippery on the steep slopes of Kanchenjunga may awaken. Truly, you are mesmerized by the mesmerizing and supernatural view of these mountain ranges, and you are immersed in a feeling of heavenly bliss, becoming emotionless and lost in yourself.

Perhaps your curiosity is about how to reach Pathibhara Temple. Just east of the steep slope that slopes slightly from south to north, on the top of a very impressive cliff, lies the temple of Goddess Pathibhara, which fulfills the desires of all devotees.

Now you are present at the feet of Goddess Pathibhara. It is said that the new statue of Goddess Pathibhara here is the tallest (8’6″) statue of the goddess in Nepal.

After worshipping the goddess and performing puja, do not forget to observe the mountain range visible from Pathibhara. If you can spare some time, do not miss the opportunity to watch the melodious and beautiful view of sunrise and sunset on Kanchenjunga from Pathibhara and capture it on your camera.

Mountains that can be viewed from Pathibhara

• Kanchenjunga (M) (Sewalung) 8586 m.
• Kanchenjunga (C) 8482 m., Kumbhakarna (Fakta Nlung) 7710 m.
• Kangbachen 7903 m.
• Kanchenjunga (S) 8476 m., Makalu 8463 m.
• Lhotse 8516 m, Notse 7855 m.

How to reach Pathibhara Dham?

Since the temple of Pathibhara Devi is located at a very high altitude (3794 meters), the temperature here always drops to around zero (0). Therefore, pilgrims and tourists should carry home remedies such as hot water, roasted corn, ginger, garlic, hot food and drinks, and warm clothes to avoid high altitude sickness and hypothermia. The period from Falgun to Kartik is suitable for the Pathibhara pilgrimage.

From Birtamod in Jhapa, travel 270 kilometers on the Phungling-Mechi Highway via Ilam and Phidim, and then walk from Phungling via Suketar-Lower Phedi-Upper Phedi to reach Pathibhara.

Alternatively, travel 100 kilometers on the Koshi Highway from Dharan via Dhankuta-Hile and then walk from Basantapur via Gufa Pokhari and Gorga Dobhan.

Temple Management

The management of this temple is done by a committee formed under the Pathibhara Area Development Committee (Formation) Order, 2053. The management committee manages the provision of rest areas, blankets, and drinking water for travelers.

Every year, lakhs of devotees visit the temple and offer offerings worth more than crores of rupees.
Pathibhara, that is, a heritage of religious faith. Although it is not only religious tourists who flock there, countless guests also visit it with the desire to immerse themselves in the beautiful nature. Pathibhara has not only stood for religious faith and belief, but it is also supporting eastern tourism.

I have also climbed the peak of Pathibhara in the same way many times. This time, the journey there was scheduled for the fourth time, in the second week of Mangsir. I had reached there after 6 years. The experience of Pathibhara then and now was somewhat different. Now, some services and facilities have been added there.

Six years ago, the roads were not as well-maintained as they are now. There were no rest areas at all. There was no place to rest during the snowfall. Now all these facilities have been added. Therefore, travel has become more convenient.

A journey full of challenges

A visit to the Pathibhara temple is an important aspiration of Hindus. Surrounded by mountains, in the middle of a valley. It must have been called Pathibhara because it is a hill like Pathi that is filled to the brim.

The Pathibhara temple, located in a valley like Pathi, is not easy to reach. Those who walk uphill for five hours to reach the temple have to come down again to stay at the foothills.

That is why reaching the Pathibhara temple is not as easy as one might think. The Pathibhara temple, which is located at an altitude of 3,794 meters above sea level, is also prone to flooding.

The Pathibhara temple, located in Taplejung in the east, is famous not only in Nepal but also in neighboring India. More than one lakh devotees from Nepal and India visit this temple every year.
The Pathibhara temple is covered in snow in the months of Poush and Magh, while the weather is cold at other times.