History of Shri Muktinath (Muktinath Yatra)
The Pagoda style Muktinath Temple is symbol of the religious symbiosis between both Hindus and Buddhists. Hindu believes that lord Vishnu got salvation from curse of Brinda (wife of Jalandhar) here. Therefore He is worshiped as Shri Muktinath. Here in the early 19th century, the Hindus consecrated a Vishnu Temple and named is Muktinath - Lord of Liberation. It is believed that when goddess Sati (Parvati) immolated herself in the yagya made by her father, and The Lord Shiva carried her along with, variously bodily parts of the goddess fell down at various places. Out of all that her forehead temples fell at the place where Muktinath is situated.
It is an ardent wish or a dream if you may say, of every Hindu to get Mukti-Nirvana from this cycle taking births over and over again. It is belief of the Hindus that this world is "MAYA" (an illusion) and the earliest one gets out of it the better and a visit to Muktinath will help them achieve that goal. Since then it called Muktinath. A little away is the Jwala Mai temple which is of a Tibetan style. Inside this temple there are small natural gas jets that produce continuously burning flames. There are three such eternal flames. They are considered to be holy. Against a backdrop of incredible starkness you can sit and stare to the south the snow covered Annapurna range, or to the north the Tibetan plateau.read more