Pashupatinath
The story of how the Jyotirlinga of Pashupatinath was found when a cow spilled its milk on the earth, and how the land came to be named Nepal.
Pashupatinath
At the beginning of creation, when a dispute arose between Brahma and Vishnu over who was greater, a vast and infinite Jyotirlinga appeared between them. No one could find its beginning or its end. In the end, that Jyotirlinga was proven to be the very form of Mahadev Shiva, the god of gods.
In the course of time, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a deer and began to roam in the Shleshmantak forest.
After a long time, the cowherds of the Gopal dynasty saw that one of their cows would go every day to a certain thicket and of itself offer a stream of milk from its udder.
When Bhuktaman (Nep), the leader of the Gopals, out of curiosity dug that place, from beneath the ground appeared the exceedingly radiant five-faced Jyotirlinga of Pashupatinath.
The great sage Nemuni came there, performed worship, made Bhuktaman's son king, and established Pashupatinath as the chief guardian deity of the country. Because Nemuni had raised and nurtured him, this sacred land came to be named 'Nepal', and the fame of the worshipped deity Pashupatinath spread throughout the world.
Note: These are traditional Nepali folk tales (kimbadanti), passed down orally through generations. They may or may not reflect actual historical events, but they are told and believed as part of Nepal's cultural heritage.
Related stories
More from Deity Names and the threads this story shares.