Pharping

Pharping is one of the most important Vajrayana sites outside Tibet: the Asura cave in the hillside is where Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, is held to have accomplished the practice of Vajrakilaya, and a handprint in the rock at the entrance is venerated as his. Beside it the Yanglesho cave carries the same associations. Around these two caves dozens of monasteries and retreat centres have been built over recent decades, so the hillside is a dense cluster of gompas of different lineages, with monks, nuns and long-term retreatants. Also here is a Ganesh temple shared by Hindus and Buddhists, and a self-arising Tara image on a rock face that is said to be slowly emerging from the stone.

What you actually see

• The Asura cave - the meditation cave and the venerated handprint.
• The monastery hillside - dozens of gompas built around the caves.
• The self-arising Tara - the image said to be emerging from the rock.
• The shared Ganesh temple - a shrine venerated by Hindus and Buddhists.

When to go

October to April for the weather and the walk between sites. Losar and other Tibetan festivals fill the monasteries. Mornings are quieter for the caves, which get crowded with pilgrim groups.

Honest expectations

The caves are small, dark and often crowded with pilgrims doing practice; visitors should stay out of the way. Most of the monasteries are recent construction. The hillside is steep and the sites are spread out. Photography inside the caves is generally not welcome.

Nearby

Dakshinkali temple lies below; Kathmandu is north.