The temple is called for its presiding deity, the god Shiva as Pashupatinath, or "Master of the Lord of Beasts." This is regarded as a very strong location, and one of its founding tales links it to Kedarnath, a holy spot high in the Himalayas.
The five Pandava brothers, who are the protagonists of the
epic Mahabharata, are said to be on their last trek towards the Himalayas in
quest of a vision of Shiva, according to legend.
They eventually see him at a distance, but as they approach,
Shiva transforms into a bull and charges through the snow.
When the Pandavas track the bull into a snow bank, they
discover the bull's corpse in the snow.
The hump of this bull is said to symbolize the ridge of
granite that creates the Kedarnath linga.
The bull's head continues its journey over the hills,
finally arriving in Nepal as the god Pashupatinath.
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