Durbar
Square Temples
Kastha
Mandap
Kastha Mandap (House of Wood) is a wooden three storey temple from
which Kathmandu is said to gets its name. It is located in the southwest
corner of the square. Exactly when it was built is unknown but it
may date from the 12th century or from 1630. It is believed that it
was constructed by using the wood from a single sal tree. It is one
of the oldest wooden buildings in the world. It was originally a meeting
place and now it is a temple dedicated to the Indian guru, Gorakhnath,
a family deity of the royal Shah family.
There are shrines dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant
headed god, in the four corners of the building that represents the
important Ganesh temples in the Kathmandu Valley at Bhaktapur, Bungamati,
Chabahil and Chobar. There are other deities. There are bronze lions
at the entrance. There are carvings of Hindu pastimes on the first
floor.
Ashok
Binayak
North of the Kastha Mandap, is the small, popular Ashok Binayak, or
the Maru Ganesh Temple. It is one of the most important Ganesh temples
in the valley. Pilgrims often visit this temple before visiting the
other temples in the Durbar Square and to help ensure a safe journey.
It is not known how old the temple is, but the gilded roof dates from
the 19th century. Ganesh rat carrier is across from the temple.
Siva
Temples
This temple, southeast of Katha Mandap, is the Kabindrapur Temple
dedicated to Siva in his form as Nataraj, the “Lord of Dance.”
is used by vegetable sellers. Southwest of the Kastha Mandap is the
small Mahadev Temple.
Maru
Tole
Maru Tole is the road that leads from Durbar Square to Vishnumati
River, from where there is a footbridge over to a footpath that goes
to Swayambhunath. On Maru Tole is Maru Hiti, which is a nice sunken
water conduit in Kathmandu.
Trailokya
Mohan Narayan Temple
East of the Kastha Mandap is the three-tiered roofed Trailokya Mohan
Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple was built in 1680 by
Prithvibendra Malla. In front of the temple is a photogenic statue
of kneeling Garuda with his palms together, the carrier of Lord Vishnu
or Narayan. It has well decorated windows and Vedic figures on the
roof struts.
During the Indra Jatra Festival in September there are Das Avatar
dances, portraying the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Maju
Dewal Siva Temple
Just north is the large three-roofed Maju Dewal Siva Temple, from
where you can get a good view of the square. It was built by the mother
of Bhaktapur’s King Bhupatindra Malla in 1690. It has a Siva
linga in the temple.
This is a nice place to seat on the step of the nine-level-platform
high above the square and watch the world go around.
Next to the bottom of the temple stairway is the small Indian shikhara-style
Kam Dev Temple, an associate of Siva.
Siva
Parvati Temple
Across from the Maju Dewal Temple is the 18th century Siva Parvati
Temple. It was built by a Shah King and has nice external woodwork.
Worshipped in the temple are the Nawa Durga (Nine Durgas). Next to
it there is a Narayan (Vishnu) Temple.
Great
Bell (Taleju Bell)
North of the Siva Parvati Temple is the Great Bell, which is one of
three big bells in the valley. It was put up by Rana Bahadur Shah,
the son of Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1797. It is believed that the ringing
of the bell drives away evil spirits. It is rung during the puja (worship)
at the Degulaleju Temple.
Across from the bell, next to the palace is a small
bas relief of Jambhuvan, the associate of Hanuman.
Vishnu
Temple and Saraswati Temple
Next to the bell is the small stone Vishnu Temple.
Next is the Saraswati Temple.
King
Pratap Malla’s Column
On the column, between the palace and the Krishna Temple, is a statue
of King Pratap Malla, who is responsible for many of the buildings
in Durbar Square. The seated king is surrounded by his two wives,
four sons, and an infant son. The king looks into his private prayer
room in the Degutaleju Temple. It was built by Bahadur Shah in 1670.
Krishna Temple
The octagonal Krishna Temple was built by Pratap Malla in 1648. Inside
the temple is a deity of Krishna and two goddesses, and a Sanskrit
inscription states that they were modelled after the king and his
two wives.
Next to the temple is the Great Drum.
Kot
Square
Next to the Police Headquarters is Kot Square, where Jung Bahadur
Rana arranged the famous 1846 massacre. Afterwards he became to Prime
Minister, which began the Rana rule. Kot means “fort”
or “armoury.” During the Durga Puja festival, hundreds
of buffaloes and goats are sacrificed here.
Gaddi
Baithak
This white neoclassical building was built in a European style. It
is on the east side of Durbar Square and it was built as part of the
palace during the Rana period.
Near the southwest corner of the Gaddi Baithak is a
small grate, which is said to mark where the remnants of an ancient
Lichhavai-era temple was found.
Bhagwati
Temple
This triple storey, tripled roofed temple was built by Jagat Jaya
Malla. It is on top of a building with thangka shop on the ground
floor. You can get a good view of the temple from the Maju Deval temple,
across from it. Originally there was a deity of Narayan, which was
stolen in 1766. When Prithvi Narayan Shah took over the valley he
had placed in this temple a deity of the goddess Bhagwati.
Each year in April, the deity of Bhagwati is brought to the village
of Nuwakot, 65km north, and then she return a few days later.
Seto
Bhairab
Next to the palace is a 3m high gilded fearful head of Seto (or Sweta)
Bhairab (White Bhairab) who is behind a wooden latticed-screen door.
Bhairab is the terrifying form of Lord Siva. Its mask dates from 1794
during the reign of the third Shah King, Rana Bahadur Shah. The mask
is the symbol of the Royal Nepal Airlines.
Each year during the Indra Jatra Festival in September,
the doors are open and the face is displayed for a few days. The face
is decorated at this time with flowers and rice. Beer is poured in
the mouth of the face and men fight to get the remnants of the beer.
Kala
Bhairab
Behind the Jagannath Temple is a large statue of Kala Bhairab (Black
Bhairab). The large stone deity of Kala Bhairab wears a garland of
skulls, has six arms and stands on a dead body of a demon. The deity
was said to have been found in a field north of the city. The lions
on top and the sun and moon on the left were added later.
It is believed that to tell a lie in front of Kala Bhairab
will instantly die, and disagreements in the past would be resolved
here.
Jagannath
Temple
The two-storey Jagannath Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. It has
erotic carving on it roof struts. The temple is said to date to 1563.
It has a three tiered platform.
Indrapur
Temple
Just east of Kala Bhairab is the ancient Indrapur Temple. There is
a Siva linga in the temple. The is a half buried Garuda on the south
side of the temple indicating that at one time the temple was dedicated
to Lord Vishnu.
Vishnu
Temple
The triple roofed Vishnu Temple has a golden deity of Lord Vishnu
in it. It has a four level base.
Kakeshwar
Temple
This temple was originally built in 1681 and was later rebuilt after
it was damaged during the 1934 earthquake. The base is in the Nepali
style and above that is an Indian style shikhara style.
Stone
Inscription
There is a stone inscription outside on the wall of the palace, across
form the Vishnu Temple. The inscription is to the goddess Kalika in
15 languages, including French and English. King Pratap Malla had
them done in 1664. It is said if someone can read all 15 languages
that milk will come out of the spout in the middle.
Kotilingeshwar
Mahadev Temple
This Siva temple dates from the rule of Mahendra Malla in the16th
century. This is a Nandi bull in front of the temple. This temple
is built in the gumbhaj style, having a square temple with a dome
on top.
Maha
Vishnu Temple
The doubled-roofed Maha Vishnu Temple has a four level base. It has
damaged in the 1934 earthquake but was not repaired.
Mahendreshwar
Temple
At the north end of the square, this temple is dedicated to Lord Siva.
There is a deity of Kam Dev in the northeast corner of the temple.
There is a small Nandi in front of the temple. The spire has a golden
umbrella. The temple was built during the reign of Mahendra Malla
in 1561, but was restored in 1963.
Taleju
Temple
In the northeast part of the square is the 16th century 40m high Taleju
Temple, dedicated to a form of the goddess Durga. The deity of Taleju
Bhawani became the royal family deity of the Malla kings in the 14th
century. Newar Buddhists see her as one of the Taras, female tantric
deities. There are also Talugu temples in Patan and Bhaktapur. It
was built by Mahendra Malla in 1564, who decreed that no building
in Kathmandu should be taller than it, which stayed that way to the
mid-20th century.
The temple has a base with a 12-tier plinth. The eighth
plinth has a wall around it. In front of the wall there are 12 small
temples and inside the wall are four small temples. The wall has four
intricately carving gates.
The temple is only open to the public on the ninth day
of the Dasain Festival, at which time only Hindus (Nepalis and Indian)
can enter.
In back of the Taleju Temple is the temple of Tarani Devi, the old
sister of Taleju. It is gotten to from Makhan Tol.
