Religious, Spiritual sights in Bhaktapur
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A
Tadhunchen Bahal
The Tadhunchen Bahal , or Chatur Varna Mahavihara, dates from 1491 and is noteworthy as the place where the cult of the Kumari, Nepal's living goddesses, originally started. Bhaktapur actually has three Kumaris but they lack the political importance of Kathmandu's.
In the inner courtyard the roof struts on the eastern side have some highly unusual carvings showing the tortures of the damned. In one a snake is wrapped around a man, another shows two rams butting an unfortunate's head from opposite sides, while a third strut shows a nasty tooth extraction being performed with a large pair of pliers! You may see copper chasing going on in the courtyard.
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B
Siddhi Lakshmi Temple
By the southeastern corner of Bhaktapur's Royal Palace stands the stone Siddhi Lakshmi Temple also known as the Lohan Dega, or Stone Temple. The steps up to the temple are flanked by male and female attendants, each leading a rather reluctant child and a rather eager-looking dog. On successive levels the stairs are flanked by horses, rhinos, man-lions and camels.
The 17th-century temple marks the dividing line between the main and secondary parts of Durbar Sq. Behind the temple is another Vatsala Temple, while to one side of it are two rather lost-looking curly-haired stone lions, standing by themselves out in the middle of the square.
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C
Pashupatinath Temple
This temple ( M0465) is dedicated to Shiva as Pashupati and is a replica of the main shrine at Pashupatinath. Originally built by King Yaksha Malla in 1475 (or 1482), it is the oldest temple in the square and is sometimes called the Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple.
For adults only, the roof struts depict some of the rudest erotic art in the valley. Unexpected humour is provided by one bored-looking woman who multitasks by washing her hair while pleasuring her husband at the same time. Don't even ask what the dwarf with the bowl is doing…
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Char Dham
Four less significant temples crowd the western end of Durbar Sq. Together they are called the Char Dham, after the four Hindu pilgrimage sites of the same name, to provide a place of worship for those unable to make the pilgrimage to the real sites.They include the lopsided Rameshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva and the Bhadri Temple dedicated to Vishnu as Narayan.
In front of them is an impressive, larger Krishna Temple and just beyond that is a brick shikhara-style Shiva Temple erected by King Jitamitra Malla in 1674.
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D
Fasidega Temple
The large, white, rather ugly Fasidega Temple is dedicated to Shiva and stands in the centre of the secondary part of Durbar Sq. There are various viewpoints around the valley - the Changu Narayan Temple is one of them - from where you can study Bhaktapur at a distance. In each case the white bulk of the Fasidega is always an easy landmark to pick out. The temple sits on a six-level plinth with elephant guardians at the bottom of the steps, and with lions and cows above them.
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Jaya Varahi Temple
This the red-brick temple has elaborately carved wooden toranas over the central door and the window above it. At the eastern end of the temple is the entrance to the upper floor, flanked by stone lions and banners. The two ornate windows, on either side of the upper torana, have recently been repainted their original gold. Nearby is a small Ganesh shrine, jutting out into the street and covered in bathroom tiles.
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Lun Bahal
The Lun Bahal was originally a 16th-century Buddhist monastery that was converted into a Hindu shrine with the addition of a stone statue of Bhimsen. If you look into the sanctum, in the inner courtyard, you can see the statue, dating from 1592, complete with a ferocious-looking brass mask.
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Salan Ganesh Temple
On the north side of Tachupal Tole is another open area, with the small Salan Ganesh Temple, dating from 1654. The open temple is ornately decorated, but the image is just a rock with only the vaguest elephant-head shape. To one side of the temple is the Ganesh Pokhari, a large tank.
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H
Golmadhi Ganesh Temple
Where Main Road joins Golmadhi Sq ( M046A) the small, triple-roofed Golmadhi Ganesh Temple stands. Adjacent to it is a white chaitya. Down on the left is the well-restored façade of the Jhaurbahi Dipankar Bihar.
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Vishnu Temple
This is one of two small temples in Potters' Sq, the other being the double-roofed Jeth Ganesh Temple.
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Ganesh shrine
This shrine is on the northern side of Potters' Square, on a small hillock and near a pipal tree.
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