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The Ghujeshwari (or Ghuyeshwari) Mandir sits at the bottom of the path that continues downhill from Gorakhnath. Here, too, non-Hindus can only peek from outside. The legend behind this temple is one of the all-time masterpieces of Hindu surrealism. The story goes that Shiva's first wife, Sati, offended by some insult, threw herself onto a fire (giving rise to the term sati, or suttee). Shiva retrieved her corpse and, blinded by grief, flew to and fro across the subcontinent, scattering parts of the body in 51 sacred places. Ghujeshwari is where Sati's vagina (some say her anus) fell. As a consequence, the temple here represents the female counterpart to the Pashupati linga and is held to be every bit as sacred, its chief focus being a kalash (vessel) kept in a sunken pit and containing an "odiferous liquid". Buddhists consider Ghujeshwari to be one of the valley's four mystic Bajra Joginis - powerful tantric goddesses - and the site to be the seed from which the Swayambhu lotus grew. From Ghujeshwari a lane follows the river downstream past the Kirateshwar Mahadev Mandir , which hosts Nepali classical music concerts on full-moon evenings, and Gauri Ghat , a peaceful spot where the river enters the Pashupatinath ravine and monkeys leap from branches and cliffs into the water. The road crosses the river here and circles around to the village of Pashupatinath, while a path past the river crossing takes a more direct route up and over Kailash Hill . This grassy knoll, named after the Tibetan mountain where Shiva does his meditating, is used both as a playing field and public toilet. It overlooks the Pashupatinath complex to the south, and on a clear day affords good views of the mountains to the northeast. From the eastern edge of Kailash, a steep staircase leads down to Surya Ghat , the site of several caves hewn out of the cliffs. These caves have been used for meditation for centuries, and are sometimes still occupied by latter-day yogins.
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