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Temples in Kathmandu Self-Guided Tour, Kathmandu
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Temples in Kathmandu Self-Guided Tour
Guide Location: Nepal » Kathmandu
Guide Type: Self-guided city tour
# of Attractions: 9
Tour Duration: 2 hour(s)
Transportation Mode: by foot
Travel Distance: 3.2 km
Image Courtesy of Flickr and lavenderstreak
Author: helenp
The main religions in Kathmandu, as in the rest of Nepal, are Hinduism and Buddhism, although there are minorities of Kirats, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, Bahaais, and Christians. Many Hindu temples in Kathmandu are centuries old and of great importance to Hindus. The Pashupatinath, Changu Narayan and the Kasthamandap temples are of particular importance for the capital of Nepal. We encourage you to explore the marvelous temples of Kathmandu through this self-guided tour.
Tour Stops and Attractions
Shree Lumadhi Bhadrakali Temple
1) Shree Lumadhi Bhadrakali Temple
Shree Lumadhi Bhadrakali Temple is situated near the Shahid Gate, at the eastern corner of Tundikhel. The temple is dedicated to goddess Bhadrakali, a Supreme Deity whose name in Sanskrit means "blessed, auspicious, beautiful, prosperous". This temple is considered to be one of the most renowned "Shakti" temples of Kathmandu.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and NEPMET
Mahankaal Temple
2) Mahankaal Temple
Mahankaal Temple is situated near Tundikhel, on the Kantipath road, next to the Nepal Army Hospital Liaison office and the Bir hospital. This temple is dedicated to Mahakaal, also known as Kaal Bhairab - the God of Time. This deity is worshiped by both Hindus and Buddhists. People pray to this God to heal their sicknesses caused by bad karmas.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and lavenderstreak
Ranipokhari
3) Ranipokhari
Ranipokhari, meaning Queen's pond, is an artificial square-shaped pond with a temple of Shiva in the middle. Ranipokhari lies in the heart of Kathmandu, within a 10-15 minutes walk from Kathmandu Durbar Square. The pond was constructed during the reign of King Pratap Malla in memory of his son Chackrawotendra. It was a token of consolation to his wife, drowned in sorrow of their son's death. The pond is fenced with iron bars and opened once a year during Bhaitika, the fifth and final day of Tihar.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Eukesh
Sight description based on wikipedia
Annapurna Temple
4) Annapurna Temple
Annapurna Temple is situated in the area of Ason Bazaar. The Ason market is always crowded with shoppers and merchants. Annapurna Temple is a tiered temple dedicated to the main goddess of Ason - Annapurna Ajima. The temple was built under the Shah dynasty, in 1893. Ajima is the goddess of prosperity and abundance, her name literally means abundant food. The goddess has been idolized as a Silver Kalash filled with food. This goddess is the mainly worshiped by the Newari traders in the Ason market.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and gregw66
Kathesimbu Stupa
5) Kathesimbu Stupa
Kathesimbu Stupa is situated in the Naghal district of Kathmandu. It was built for those who could not make the journey to visit Swayambhu, as it is located on a high hill. This reproduction of Swayambhu is practically hidden in the middle of old Kathmandu and this fact makes it extremely interesting.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and Chris Liberty
Seto Machindranath Temple
6) Seto Machindranath Temple
Seto Machindranath Temple is situated between Indra Chowk and Asan Tole. This gorgeous pagoda was built in honor of the deity Machhendra, also called Janmadyo. It is one of the four Machindranath temples built in the world. It is considered by some that Swami Machindranath was created from a fish, however others believe that Lord Shiva wanted to create him from absolute purity and used the five elements. Lord Shiva mixed fire, water, sky, earth and air, and gave Swami Machindranath human form.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Dr. Blofeld
Akash Bhairab Temple
7) Akash Bhairab Temple
Akash Bhairab Temple is situated at the intersection of six streets, in the busy market place - Indra Chowk. Akash Bhairab, also called “Arogya Dev”, is a rectangular temple built on several tiers. The temple underwent serious reconstruction a couple of years ago, after being partially destroyed in the earthquake of 1934. The design of the renovated temple is based on the original architecture.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and wonker
Durbar Square
8) Durbar Square
The literal meaning of Durbar Square is "Court Square". There are three preserved Durbar Squares in Kathmandu valley and one unpreserved in Kirtipur. The Durbar Square of Kathmandu is located in the old city and has heritage buildings representing four kingdoms (Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur), built over the centuries, the earliest dynasty that ruled over the Square being the Licchavi dynasty. There were further additions and refurbishments during the reign of the Mallas (9th century) and then the Ranas. The complex has 50 temples and is distributed in two quadrangles of the Durbar Square. The outer quadrangle has the Kasthamandap, Kumari Ghar and Shiva-Parvati Temple, while the inner quadrangle has the Hanuman Dhoka and the main palace.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and lavenderstreak
Sight description based on wikipedia
Ashok Binayak
9) Ashok Binayak
Ashok Binayak, also called Kathmandu Ganesh or Maru Ganesh, is one of the four most important Ganesh shrines in Kathmandu Valley. This small shrine of Ashok Binayak is situated behind the Kasthamandap temple. Ganesh, with his main attribute - the elephant head - is one of the best-known deities in the Hindu pantheon.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and Andreas Kollegger
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