Changu Narayan Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tribhuvan International Airport serves Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, as its international airport.

• By road

  Microbuses leave regularly from Bhaktapur for the temple, which lies a few miles north of that town.

Rules to know

• Only the priest is allowed to see the main idol in the sanctum.

Why devotees come here

Changu Narayan Temple stands on a hilltop in Changunarayan, Bhaktapur district, about 12 km east of Kathmandu. It is dedicated to Vishnu and was built in the 4th century AD, which makes it one of the oldest Hindu temples in Nepal. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Legend says a Brahmin's cow went to the base of a champaka tree, where a man emerged and drank her milk. In anger, the Brahmin struck the man's neck, and the man turned out to be Vishnu. Vishnu said he would stay on the hill as a severed head and asked to be worshipped there.

The temple houses one of the oldest pillar inscriptions in Nepal, made by the Lichhavi king Manadeva, who ruled from 464 to 505 AD. A fire gutted the old pagoda, and the two-tiered structure was rebuilt in 1702. The 2015 earthquake destroyed the temple. It was rebuilt over five years with support from a Chinese team. King Bhupalendra Malla had two statues of himself and his wife, Bhuvan Laxmi, erected in front of the temple doors. The Nepali Times reports that this was exactly 297 years ago.

The roof follows a traditional pagoda design, with two levels of symmetrical pitched roofs. A Garuda statue at the front dates to the 5th century Lichhavi period. The ten incarnations of Vishnu are carved on the roof struts.

Festivals

• Ashadh and Kartik monthsHarishayani and Haribodhini Ekadashi

  Large numbers of devotees visit the temple on these two Ekadashi days, Harishayani in Ashadh and Haribodhini in Kartik.

Tips for your visit

• The Changu Museum shows a rhino-skin shield, a raincoat made from leaves and other items.
• In the northeast corner of the courtyard is a 12th-century bas-relief of Vishnu riding Garuda.
• Some visitors trek from Nagarkot to the temple and go back to Kathmandu via Bhaktapur.

Questions people ask