Muktinath, where two religions share 108 spouts and an eternal flame
One of the Himalaya's most important pilgrimage sites, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike, and now reachable by jeep in a day from Jomsom.
By the Lakeshore team · 6 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Muktinath sits at about 3,760 m in the Kali Gandaki valley, on the Tibetan side of the Himalaya. It matters enormously to two religions that don't usually share a site.
Hindus know it as Mukti Kshetra, the place of liberation, and as one of the 108 Divya Desams sacred to Vishnu. Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa, the hundred waters, and link it to Padmasambhava, who is said to have meditated here.
Most people arriving now are pilgrims, many of them from India, and many come by jeep, not on foot. If you trek in, you'll be in the minority, and it helps to know that before you get there.
What you find there
The main temple is a modest pagoda with an image of Vishnu inside. Behind it, in an arc along a wall, are 108 water spouts fed by glacial melt, each cast as a cow's head. Pilgrims bathe under all of them in turn, in water a few degrees above freezing at 3,760 m.
Close by, at Jwala Mai, a small natural gas flame burns beside spring water. Fire and water together in one place made this site sacred long before either religion formalised it, and that pairing is still the most striking thing there.
There's also a Buddhist gompa on the site, and nuns and Hindu priests share the complex without any apparent difficulty. Seeing them side by side is part of why people come.
Getting there
There are three ways in. You can walk up the Kali Gandaki from Beni or Tatopani over about eight days, which is the Jomsom and Muktinath trek and by far the best way to arrive. You can come over Thorong La from Manang, which is the Annapurna Circuit arriving from the other side. Or you can drive, because a jeep road now runs from Jomsom to just below the temple.
The jeep road is why the site is so busy now, and that's good news. It opens the pilgrimage to elderly and unwell people who could never have made it otherwise. Watching an eighty-year-old finish something they've wanted to do their whole life is worth the crowd.
You can also fly from Pokhara to Jomsom and drive up, which makes Muktinath a two or three day trip instead of a two-week one. The flight depends on the weather and is often cancelled.
Shaligram, and the river
The Kali Gandaki is the only place in the world where shaligram are found. They're black ammonite fossils, left over from the Tethys Sea, which existed before India collided with Asia and pushed these mountains up.
Hindus regard them as aniconic forms of Vishnu, and pilgrims collect them from the riverbed. We find it remarkable that a sacred object is also direct physical evidence of the geological event that created the valley it's found in. There are export rules about them, and they change. Ask before you pocket one, and certainly before you try to fly home with a bagful.
Being a respectful visitor
Muktinath is a working pilgrimage site. The people around you are completing something that may have taken them years to arrange.
Don't photograph people bathing at the spouts. Walk clockwise around the temple and the gompa, take your shoes off where others do, and dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered.
As at Pashupatinath, the inner sanctum of the main temple is generally restricted to Hindus. Nobody will be rude about it. Just don't push.
When to go
The site is open all year, and the busiest pilgrimage season is the warmer months. That's the monsoon, but Muktinath is in the rain shadow, which is also why we run the trek up here in July and August.
October and November bring the clearest air and the best mountain views, with fewer pilgrims than high summer. Winter is cold, quiet and beautiful, and snow can close the road above Jomsom for spells.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Do I have to be religious to visit?
No. Plenty of trekkers pass through on the Circuit or the Jomsom route. Behave as you would at any active place of worship and you'll be welcome.
How long does it take from Pokhara?
Two to three days if you fly or drive to Jomsom and go up by jeep. Eight days if you walk the Kali Gandaki, as our Jomsom and Muktinath trek does, and we'd recommend it if you have the time.
Is the altitude a problem?
It can be. Muktinath's 3,760 m is high enough to matter if you fly or drive straight up from Pokhara at 800 m. Take it slowly when you arrive, drink plenty, and don't plan anything strenuous for the first afternoon.
Can elderly relatives make the trip?
Yes, by jeep, and many do. Older pilgrims are a large part of who visits now. Tell us about mobility and health and we'll plan the altitude gain carefully instead of driving straight up.
Do people really bathe under all 108 spouts?
Many do, quickly. The water is glacial melt at 3,760 m. Just watching is entirely acceptable.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates, and we'll tell you whether Jomsom Muktinath Trek is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830