Nepali Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport serves Varanasi, about 26 km from the city centre.

• By train

  The temple is 3.8 km south-east of Varanasi Junction railway station.

Why devotees come here

Nepali Temple stands on Lalita Ghat in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganga. It is a Shiva temple and a replica of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. It is also called Mini Khajuraho for its sculptures, which resemble those of Khajuraho.

Nepali Temple, also called Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Mahadev Mandir and Kanthwala Mandir, is dedicated to Shiva. It is counted among the oldest and most famous temples in Varanasi, and it holds an important place in Hindu worship. Varanasi is a city on the Ganges river in northern India, and this temple is built in Nepali style.

The Kings of Nepal built it in the 19th century as a copy of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. King Rana Bahadur Shah began the work while he was in exile in Varanasi. His son Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah completed it, about 20 years after the intended date. A renovation was completed in 1995 on the initiative of former Nepal prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

The pagoda is two storeys high and built of terracotta, stone and wood, in Nepali style. It is mainly carved out of wood, and it took three decades to complete. Its sculptures resemble those of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments, which is why it is also called Mini Khajuraho. Tamarind and peepal trees surround it, and it stands on the banks of the Ganga.

Tips for your visit

• Manikarnika Ghat is about 100 metres from the temple.
• Tamarind and peepal trees surround the temple.

Questions people ask