The beauty of Nepal is that there is never a shortage of spiritual sites to explore. Despite this, the majority of them are old temples with similar antique design and follow a same devotional path. Shashwat Dham, on the other hand, is a very unique and different, both in terms of the ambience and the ideology practiced there. Spirituality finds a new home and a new meaning in the peaceful and collected surroundings of Shashwat Dham. The temple and ashram complex are situated in the picturesque Devchuli area of Nawalprasi district in south-central Nepal, on the east-west Mahendra Highway, approximately 23 kilometers from Bharatpur-Narayangarh. The Shashwat Dham is also commonly known as CG Temple as it is constructed and built by the Chaudhary Group.
Shashwat Dham is a huge stretch of land that spans 12 acres. Given that the center temple is devoted to Lord Shiva, this could be a subliminal allusion to Lord Shiva’s 12 Jyotirlingas. Shashwat Dham is a famous tourist attraction in Nepal. The location attracts people from all walks of life, thanks to the beautiful Ekambareshwar Shiva Temple, a Buddhist center, and a yoga retreat that are at the Shashwat Dham. Shashwat Dham, with the divine blessings of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji and Sri Kanchi Shankaracharya JagadguruJayendra Saraswatiji, aims to be an attraction for everyone to achieve spiritual strength, integrate themselves in eternal knowledge allowed to pass down through generations of Vedic saints and sages, and experience happiness and affection — the real essence of our inner being.
ShashwatDham was conceptualized more than 20 years ago when Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji visited Nepal. He informed Chaudhary that, while Nepal has many temples, it lacks competent Karma Kanda Pundits who are well educated in Vedic knowledge and customs. This motivated Chaudhary to create a temple that was more than simply a site of worship, but also a place where real pundits could be found, upholding and preserving the spiritual and religious ideals of the Sanatana Dharma.
Shashwat Dham is home to a Vedic Karmakanda Gurukul, where young Brahmins can study the information and traditional ways required to execute numerous ceremonies, rituals, and poojas in addition to their regular schooling.The Meditation and Yogic Sciences Center over here is a place to find pleasure, serenity, and social well-being, which fits with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji’s aim to build a stress-free and violence-free society.
Shashwat Dham excavates and conserves Nepal’s historic manuscripts, of which it is believed that there are more than 20,000 spread around the country in various institutions and private collections, in order to preserve knowledge of old texts. Within Shashwat Dham, there are two museums: a Hindu religious museum and the Nirvana Museum. The Hindu museum, which is housed in the basement of the Ekambareshwor Mahadev, is dedicated to ideology, philosophy, scriptures, history, and customs. It has also conserved mementos from well-known spiritual places in Nepal and India for display via an audio-visual experience. The Nirvana museum is dedicated to Siddhartha Gautama Buddha’s life and journey to enlightenment. Numerous magnificent sculptures, a Dhunge Dhara, a heritage store, Kamal Kunda, SahastraSaligram, Hanuman Kshetra Temple, and the Dharma Kshetra can all be found in ShashwatDham.
ShashwatDham at night: The CG Temple or Shashwat Dham is more cheerful and worth to visit at night time. The lights around the Cg temple create a chaotic and beautiful scene. In the evening, there is a large number of people who come to see the panoramic sights and lights. Therefore, the best time to visit Shashwat Dham is between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. Evening illumination enhances the beauty of CG.
Entry fee at ShashwatDham: The temple is free to visit, however the Hindu and Buddhist museums charge NR100 and NR150, respectively. You are permitted to snap photographs in the vicinity of the CG temple, but not within the temple or in the museum.
Best time to visit: You can visit the CG temple at any time throughout the Nepalese year, although the months of September to December and March to May are preferable to be the best time to visit there.
How to get there: To visit CG Shaswat Dham, fly to Bharatpur from Tribhuvan International Airport’s Domestic Terminal. Take a cab or a local bus to Dumkauli Nawalparasi, which stops in front of Shashwat Dham, from Bharatpur. Else, you can also get there by road. Direct buses are available from Gongabu Bus Park or Kalanki Bus stop for Dumkauli which stops infront of Shashwat Dham.
-Article written by: Saru Niraula for Land Nepal
