Manakamana

Manakamana

Manakāmanā ("she who fulfils the heart's desire") is a major Nepali Shakta shrine atop a hill in Gorkha district. Pilgrims reach her via cable car. Her worship is tied to the Gorkha royal lineage and to every Nepali family's vow-making tradition.

Manakamana's legend is tied to the Gorkha royal dynasty (from which Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal in 1769). A 17th-century queen of Gorkha was possessed by the goddess; upon her widow-self-immolation, she commanded a shrine be built at the hilltop where her form had appeared. The modern Manakamana cable car (completed 1998) rises 2.8 km from Kurintar to the hilltop shrine, making it accessible to elderly pilgrims.