Gosaikunda
A sacred alpine lake at 4,380 metres in Langtang National Park, the largest of a cluster of high lakes named a Ramsar site in 2007. Hindus believe Shiva created it with his trident, and thousands of pilgrims climb here to bathe at Janai Purnima.
- Where
- Dhunche, Bagmati, Nepal
- Grade
- Heritage site
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 3 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 28.0828, 85.4136
Get the Gosaikunda stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Gosaikunda. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Bagmati volume with your photos and a note.
Near Gosaikunda
Langtang National Park 17 km
Nepal's first Himalayan national park, set up in 1976 north of Kathmandu and covering 1,710 square kilometres up to the border of Tibet. It takes in the Langtang valley and 26 villages, with the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers marking its eastern and western sides.
Nuwakot Palace 31 km
An 18th century palace built by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the first king of unified Nepal, on a ridge above the Trishuli valley. Its tall seven-storey tower and brick courtyards were his base during the campaign for the Kathmandu Valley.
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park 32 km
The forested hills on the northern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, made a national park in 2002 and named after the 2,732 metre Shivapuri Peak. Its 159 square kilometres supply much of the city's water and are crossed by trails to hilltop shrines and viewpoints.
Budhanilkantha Temple 34 km
An open-air temple at the foot of the Shivapuri hills, north of Kathmandu, where a great stone Vishnu lies asleep on a bed of coiled serpents in a pool of water. Hindus also call it Narayanthan.
Bajrayogini Temple 38 km
A complex of Tantric Buddhist temples in the forest above Sankhu, on the eastern edge of the Kathmandu Valley. Its main temple, built by King Pratap Malla, honours Vajrayogini, and the shrine is sacred to Hindus as well as Buddhists.
Kopan Monastery 38 km
A Tibetan Buddhist monastery on a hilltop north of Boudhanath, looking out over the Kathmandu Valley. It belongs to the FPMT, a worldwide Gelug network it once led, and is known for courses in meditation and Buddhism for visitors.
Gokarneshwor Mahadev Temple 38 km
A Shiva temple by the Bagmati near Gokarna, a few kilometres northeast of Boudhanath. A sacred lingam sits in its sanctum, but the place is famous for the crowd of carved stone gods and figures gathered around it.
Boudhanath Stupa 41 km
One of the largest spherical stupas in the world, a vast white dome laid out as a mandala in the northeast of Kathmandu. Prayer flags stream from its gilded tower, and pilgrims walk clockwise around it past a ring of monasteries and shops.
More heritage sites in Bagmati
Questions
Where is Gosaikunda?
Gosaikunda is in Dhunche, Bagmati, Nepal. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Langtang National Park (17 km), Nuwakot Palace (31 km), Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (32 km).
How do I get the Gosaikunda stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Gosaikunda and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Bagmati volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Gosaikunda before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Bagmati volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.