The surroundings in which these events occurred became known as the Pashupati area that has been worshipped by those faithful to Shiva for at least fifteen hundred yeas. However ancient the legend may be, the first proof to the establishment of the Pashupatinath Temple dedicated to Pashupati is in an inscription on a Ratnesvara linga dated to be from 477 AD. Another inscription on a linga named Bhasmersvara, dating 533, explains the present locality as Pashupatinath's chetra, kingdom. Some chronicles credit Supuspa, a Licchavi king who ruled before Jayadev I according to the genealogy by Jayadev II, for building the temple of Pashupatinath. Chronicles also mention gifts of a trident and a stone bull offered at Pashupatinath by Vrisadev and Dharmadev, respectively. This information indicates the establishment of the temple to have taken place by the beginning of Licchavi period in 300.

The chaturmukhalinga of Pashupatinath, a linga with four faces, also looks similar to other lingas of the early Licchavi period. It is one of the most venerated lingas in the whole world. The linga, male sex organ, stands on a yoni, female sex organ, and has four faces facing four directions and the fifth face is presumed to be on the top. The face towards the East is that of Tatpurush, the creator and is also known as Bhava in the Vedas. The face toward the South is that of Aghor, the calm aspect of the Lord. Aghor is the representation of Yamaraj, the god of death. He has three eyes, a simple left earring, and a nagakundala, snake earring, in his right ear. He is also known as Sharva, the omnipresent, in Vedas. The face towards the North is that of Vamadeva. The peculiarity of the north face is that the hair is slanted towards the right side forming a crown like structure. Vamadeva is known for its kind and boon giving aspects. The face towards the west is that of Sadojat. Sadojat means "just born," and its face is that of a child. In Atharva Veda, he is called Pashupati. The fifth face, which is only imagined to be on the top of the linga, is called Ishan. This face is the symbolic representation of sex. It is also known as lingasharira. It is the center of all forms of the Lord, so is the greatest Shakti, or energy. The light from the center of the linga is believed to spread in all directions and is also known as eleven-rayed Rudra.

The ritual of offering gifts to Pashupati continued over generations as they are drawn to the religious energy of the site. By the time of King Amsuvarma in 605, Pashupati was highly venerated and defined in many of his quotes as the protector. The tradition of including Pashupati in vows has continued through the Malla era to the present. Sivadev II (694 -705) presented a silver lotus, and his heir, Jayadev II to Pashupatinath. In the twelfth century, Sivadev (1099-1126) donated another silver lotus and laid a golden roof on the temple. Ananta Malla, in 1297 AD added gilded roofs and metal flags at the four corners of the temple. Viramadevi, a princess from Bhaktapur, gilded the bull offered by Dharmadev. When the Muslims raided Kathmandu Valley in 1349 AD, Pashupati was pillaged. A few years later, Jayasimha Ramavardhana rebuilt the linga that Vishnu is said to have created and restored it at Pashupatinath. Jyotir Malla (1408- 1428) built a golden finial for the temple. Approximate to the time of two generations before Pratap Malla (1641-1674), the middle roof of the temple was removed as it was in bad condition. It was then molded into a gajura for the top of the temple and it was left with only two stories. Pratap Malla lived a penance at Pashupati for redemption from his sins and offered many gifts, built many lingas and another temple. Queen Radhilaksmi, the daughter-in-law of Pratap Malla, in 1969 renovated the whole temple after it had been infested with termites. Since then, it remains to be completely renovated, though there have been continuous offerings to the temple during the Shah dynasty that followed the Malla dynasty when Prithvi Narayan Shah took over the throne of Kathmandu Valley in 1768. These offerings have further developed the temple complex into the sight it is today.

A circuit of the Pashupati area leads past a sixth century statue of Buddha, an eighth century statue of Brahma, the creator, skeletal images guarding temple gates, and gold covered temples. Other sights within the complex are the Rajraswari Temple, built in 1407, the Kailas area with lingas more than fourteen hundred years old, the Gorakhnath Temple, and the courtyard of Biswarup. A gold-plated roof, silver doors, and woodcarvings of fine quality decorate the Pashupatinath Temple structure. The Guheswari Temple is also found within the complex, restored in 1653, represents female power. It is dedicated to Satidevi, Shiva's first wife, who gave up her life in the flames of her father's fire ritual because he insulted Shiva. The Kirateswar Temple was built to commemorate the unfortunate event for Lord Shiva of seducing his own disguised wife Parbati. There are also rows of Shiva shrines around the complex and Hindu pilgrims from across South Asia offer puja worship to Shiva, the Lord of Destruction.

The Bagmati River flows close by, and the Arya Ghat cremation grounds are there. We advise photographers to use discretion if taking photos of cremations and of bereaved families. Sadhus, sages who follow the lifestyle of Shiva, may be seen covered in ashes and minimal clothing. They ask for money in case one should want to take their photos. The main Pashupatinath courtyard may be entered by those of Hindu faith only.