Gosaikunda Janai Festival Trek - Full Moon Festival

Gosainkunda Lake is Nepal's most famous and holy lake for Buddhist and Hindu people. The sacred lake is situated at an altitude of about 4381 m in the northeast of Kathmandu, surrounded by the Himalayas. Besides the peaks, other holy lakes like Saraswati Kunda, Ganesh Kunda, Surya Kunda, and Bhairav Kunda are also encompassed. This sacred lake was created by Lord Shiva when he pierced a glacier with his trident to obtain water to quench his thirst after having swallowed a poison that threatened to destroy the World. Just above the lake is a Cave where Amarsing Thapa (a great warrior) had spent the last minute of his life. There is a half-body statue of Amarsing Thapa inside the cave.

Every year during Full Moon day in August, thousands of Buddhists and Hindu pilgrims come here to worship Lord Shiva and to take a bath in the sacred lake of Gosaikunda. "Dhami-Jhankris," shamans perform their religious dances and chant their mantra ( holy prayers). According to religious belief, a channel from the lake carries water directly from the lake to the Kumbheshwar Temple at Patan in Kathmandu Valley (60 km southwest). Hindu people chant Gayatri Mantra and change their Sacred thread (Janai) for protection and Rakshya Bandhan - a sacred red-yellow thread tie around the wrist by the priest. We can see an image of Shiva at its center, filled with water in this lake. We customize the Gosaikunda festival trek to coincide with this special festive in the Langtang region.