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The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
Rudravarna Mahavihara, or Oku Bahal, was built in the mid-17th century. The temple is located around a courtyard which overflows with chaitya and metal figures of all kinds and sizes. There are massive Garudas, elephants, peacocks, figures of praying worshippers and a statue of Juddha Shamsher Rana, who granted the temple generous restoration aid after the earthquake of 1934.<br/><br/> In the corners of the courtyard, which is lined with oil lamp railings, there are bronze figures of the mischievous monkey god Hanuman, which show him variously eating a pumpkin, a banana and something which looks like a chapati, the traditional bread of the Indian subcontinent. Some sources suggest that the kings of Patan were crowned in this most elaborate of courtyards.<br/><br/> The temple complex is of a square design, and the building housing the main shrine is topped with a two-tiered roof. Inside, a profusely decorated figure of the Akshobhya Buddha is kept. Every day at around 3.30 pm a priest will come to open it up and perform some puja. At the beginning of the puja, the priest stands for a few moments on a pair of gilded, richly ornamented paduka, or sandals, the insignia of kings or deities; by standing on the paduka, the priest invokes the spirit of the gods. Then he beats a longish wooden tube, held over his shoulder, to wake up the deity in whose honour the puja is being held. The rite has probably been conducted in this manner for centuries.
Rudravarna Mahavihara, or Oku Bahal, was built in the mid-17th century. The temple is located around a courtyard which overflows with chaitya and metal figures of all kinds and sizes. There are massive Garudas, elephants, peacocks, figures of praying worshippers and a statue of Juddha Shamsher Rana, who granted the temple generous restoration aid after the earthquake of 1934.<br/><br/> In the corners of the courtyard, which is lined with oil lamp railings, there are bronze figures of the mischievous monkey god Hanuman, which show him variously eating a pumpkin, a banana and something which looks like a chapati, the traditional bread of the Indian subcontinent. Some sources suggest that the kings of Patan were crowned in this most elaborate of courtyards.<br/><br/> The temple complex is of a square design, and the building housing the main shrine is topped with a two-tiered roof. Inside, a profusely decorated figure of the Akshobhya Buddha is kept. Every day at around 3.30 pm a priest will come to open it up and perform some puja. At the beginning of the puja, the priest stands for a few moments on a pair of gilded, richly ornamented paduka, or sandals, the insignia of kings or deities; by standing on the paduka, the priest invokes the spirit of the gods. Then he beats a longish wooden tube, held over his shoulder, to wake up the deity in whose honour the puja is being held. The rite has probably been conducted in this manner for centuries.
Rudravarna Mahavihara, or Oku Bahal, was built in the mid-17th century. The temple is located around a courtyard which overflows with chaitya and metal figures of all kinds and sizes. There are massive Garudas, elephants, peacocks, figures of praying worshippers and a statue of Juddha Shamsher Rana, who granted the temple generous restoration aid after the earthquake of 1934.<br/><br/> In the corners of the courtyard, which is lined with oil lamp railings, there are bronze figures of the mischievous monkey god Hanuman, which show him variously eating a pumpkin, a banana and something which looks like a chapati, the traditional bread of the Indian subcontinent. Some sources suggest that the kings of Patan were crowned in this most elaborate of courtyards.<br/><br/> The temple complex is of a square design, and the building housing the main shrine is topped with a two-tiered roof. Inside, a profusely decorated figure of the Akshobhya Buddha is kept. Every day at around 3.30 pm a priest will come to open it up and perform some puja. At the beginning of the puja, the priest stands for a few moments on a pair of gilded, richly ornamented paduka, or sandals, the insignia of kings or deities; by standing on the paduka, the priest invokes the spirit of the gods. Then he beats a longish wooden tube, held over his shoulder, to wake up the deity in whose honour the puja is being held. The rite has probably been conducted in this manner for centuries.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
The Seto (Shveta) Machindranath, the 'White Machindranath', also known as Janabaha Dyo, was built during the 16th and 17th centuries, and is frequented by Buddhists as well as Hindus, the Buddhists regarding Machindranath as an incarnation of the Avalokiteshvara while the Hindus regard him as a manifestation of Shiva.<br/><br/> Renovated and altered in the 17th and 19th centuries, the temple is surrounded by a number of small stupas, and its roof is capped with a particularly ornate pinnacle. The figure housed in the temple was discovered near Rani Pokhri, the Queen’s Pond, and every year in March or April it is carried in an exuberant chariot procession around the streets of Kathmandu. One of the spots visited during the procession is the place of its discovery. The festival usually lasts four days, but if some bad omen should occur, for example the breaking of one of the chariot wheels, the festival is easily, and joyfully, prolonged.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The Hiranyavarna Mahavihara, or Golden Temple, is one of the Kathmandu Valley’s major showcases of art and architecture. Supposedly founded in the 12th century by King Bhaskara Deva Varma, the temple, as it presents itself today, mostly dates back to the 18th century.<br/><br/> The entire facade of the main shrine is covered with gilded copper, as are the very detailed torana and all the roofs. In the middle of the courtyard sits an additional little temple building, its roof likewise gilded, and its front fitted with a golden door and decorated with a number of golden statues. The two statues at the extreme left show King Bhaskara Deva Varma and his wife kneeling respectfully and gazing towards the main shrine, which is devoted to the Akshobhya Buddha.
The most revered Hindu site in Nepal is the extensive Pashupatinath Temple complex, five kilometres east of central Kathmandu. The focus of devotion here is a large silver Shivalingam with four faces of Shiva carved on its sides, making it a 'Chaturmukhi-Linga', or four-faced Shivalingam. Pashupati is one of Shiva’s 1,008 names, his manifestation as 'Lord of all Beasts' (pashu means 'beasts', pati means 'lord'); he is considered the guardian deity of Nepal.<br/><br/> The main temple building around the Shivalingam was built under King Birpalendra Malla in 1696, however the temple is said to have already existed before 533 CE. In 733 CE, King Jayadeva II erected in its precincts a stone tablet which chronicled all the kings of Nepal, beginning with the sun god. During the Muslim raids of 1349 the temple was largely destroyed, but in 1381 Jayasinharama Varddhana of Banepa restored it. Further renovations were conducted towards the end of the Malla period, and the latest extensive improvements were made in 1967.<br/><br/> Since the temple's inception, all the rulers of Nepal have taken great pains to pay their respects to it, to make donations, and to finance extensions.
The most revered Hindu site in Nepal is the extensive Pashupatinath Temple complex, five kilometres east of central Kathmandu. The focus of devotion here is a large silver Shivalingam with four faces of Shiva carved on its sides, making it a 'Chaturmukhi-Linga', or four-faced Shivalingam. Pashupati is one of Shiva’s 1,008 names, his manifestation as 'Lord of all Beasts' (pashu means 'beasts', pati means 'lord'); he is considered the guardian deity of Nepal.<br/><br/> The main temple building around the Shivalingam was built under King Birpalendra Malla in 1696, however the temple is said to have already existed before 533 CE. In 733 CE, King Jayadeva II erected in its precincts a stone tablet which chronicled all the kings of Nepal, beginning with the sun god. During the Muslim raids of 1349 the temple was largely destroyed, but in 1381 Jayasinharama Varddhana of Banepa restored it. Further renovations were conducted towards the end of the Malla period, and the latest extensive improvements were made in 1967.<br/><br/> Since the temple's inception, all the rulers of Nepal have taken great pains to pay their respects to it, to make donations, and to finance extensions.
The most revered Hindu site in Nepal is the extensive Pashupatinath Temple complex, five kilometres east of central Kathmandu. The focus of devotion here is a large silver Shivalingam with four faces of Shiva carved on its sides, making it a 'Chaturmukhi-Linga', or four-faced Shivalingam. Pashupati is one of Shiva’s 1,008 names, his manifestation as 'Lord of all Beasts' (pashu means 'beasts', pati means 'lord'); he is considered the guardian deity of Nepal.<br/><br/> The main temple building around the Shivalingam was built under King Birpalendra Malla in 1696, however the temple is said to have already existed before 533 CE. In 733 CE, King Jayadeva II erected in its precincts a stone tablet which chronicled all the kings of Nepal, beginning with the sun god. During the Muslim raids of 1349 the temple was largely destroyed, but in 1381 Jayasinharama Varddhana of Banepa restored it. Further renovations were conducted towards the end of the Malla period, and the latest extensive improvements were made in 1967.<br/><br/> Since the temple's inception, all the rulers of Nepal have taken great pains to pay their respects to it, to make donations, and to finance extensions.