King Yoganarendra Malla's Statue

Immediately north of the Hari Shankar Temple is a tall column topped by a figure of King Yoganarendra Malla (1684-1705) and his queens. The golden figure of the kneeling king, atop a lotus bud and protected by the hood of a cobra, has been facing towards his palace since the year 1700. On top of the cobra's head is the figure of a bird; legend has it that as long as the bird remains there the king may still return to his palace.

Accordingly, a door and window of the palace are always kept open and a hookah (a water pipe used for smoking) is kept ready for the king should he return. A rider to the legend adds that when the bird flies off, the elephants in front of the Vishwanath Temple will stroll over to the Manga Hiti for a drink! Behind the statue of the king are three smaller Vishnu temples. The small, brick and plaster shikhara-style temple was built in 1590 and is dedicated to Narsingha, Vishnu's man-lion incarnation.