Manakamana

Manakamana is the name of a Hindu Goddess. It is believed that the Goddess fulfils the wishes of the people. The term ‘mana’ means the ‘heart’ or ‘soul’ and ‘kamana’ means the ‘wish’.
The most popular temple of Manakamana is in Gorkha. The others are in various places like manakamana. It is said that a King of Gorkha was blessed by the goddess to get victory over small kingdoms and make a big Gorkha. Manakamana of gorkha is a popular place for a specific fair called Panchami. The temple was initially inaccessible and one had to ride on horseback for 2–3 days. Now it is easily accessible by Cable Car.

History

The queen of Ram Shah, the king of Gorkha, born in 1614 AD, was a goddess known only to her devotee, Lakhan Thapa. One day the king saw his queen in the form of a goddess. He told about it to Lakhan Thapa and he died instantly, in 1636 AD. The queen committed Sati (commit cremation with the husband's pyre as per custom of that time). Lakhan Thapa lamented on her Sati.The queen consoled her devotee by telling him that she would reappear again. Six months later, a farmer hit a stone while ploughing his field. Blood and milk came out from the stone.  
When news about this spread to Lakhan Thapa, he realized that his had come true. came to know the news. He worshipped the place with 'tantric' rituals and the flow of blood and milk ceased. The ruling king of Gorkha, upon learning about the incident, donated land and money and the site became the foundation of the present-day shrine- Manakamana Temple. The current pujari, Priest, is the 17th generation descendant of Lakhan Thapa.

The Shrine of Manakamana renovated many times over centuries has four story pagoda style roofs with entrance from the South-West. The Pujari performs daily prayers and ritual in the temple behind closed doors by offering eggs, oranges, rice, red powder and strips of cloth to the deities. The people can then make their offerings after the Pujari.