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Budhanilkantha Temple

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Devanagari
  
बुढानिलकण्ठ मन्दिर

State/province
  
Bagmati

Locale
  
Budanilkantha

Country
  
District
  
Phone
  
+977 984-1163196

Budhanilkantha Temple

Address
  
Budhanilkantha 44606, Nepal

Similar
  
Dakshinkali Temple, Changu Narayan, Guhyeshwari Temple, Manakamana, Kasthamandap

Unique budhanilkantha temple kathmandu nepal


Budhanilkantha Temple, located in Budhanilkantha, Nepal, (Nepali: बुढानीलकंठ मन्दिर) (literal: "Old Blue Throat") is a Hindu open air temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Budhanilkantha Temple is situated below the Shivapuri Hill at the northern end of the kathmandu valley . and can be identified by a large reclining statue of Lord Vishnu. The temple's main statue of Budhanilkantha is considered the largest stone carving in Nepal.

Contents

Budhanilkantha temple sleeping vishnu temple sleeping floating vishnu


Location

Budhanilkantha temple, also known as the Narayanthan Temple, is situated in kathmandu. Though the temple is named Budhanilkantha, its name does not come from the Buddha; Budhanilkantha stands instead for “Old Blue Throat”. The statue symbolizes Lord Vishnu, who is regarded as one of the 'Trimurtis', along with Brahma and Shiva.

Deity

The main statue is a black stone structure carved from a single block of black basalt. The statue stands 5 meters tall (around 16.4 feet) and is positioned in the middle of a recessed pool of water, which is 13 meters (42.65 feet) long. It depicts the deity reclining on the coils of the cosmic serpent Shesha.

Origin of the statue

According to one story, a farmer and his wife once struck a figure while plowing the field, which caused it to start soaking blood into the ground. This turned out to be the figure of lost deity of Budhanilkantha, which was recovered and placed in its present position.

Another legend states that the statue was sculpted and brought to its current location in Kathmandu during the reign of the seventh-century monarch Vishnu Gupta, who controlled the Kathmandu Valley under the Lichchhavi king Bhimarjuna Dev.

Festivals

The Budhanilkantha Temple has become the site where Haribondhini Ekadashi Mela takes place on the 11th day of the Hindu month of Kartika (October–November). Attended by thousands of pilgrims, it is the temple's principal festival in celebration of the awakening of Lord Vishnu from his long sleep.

The Legend of the Nepal Monarchy

A legend states that King Pratap Malla (1641–1674) had a prophetic vision. This vision resulted in him believing that kings of Nepal would die if they visited the Budhanilkantha Temple. Nepali monarchs after King Pratap Malla have never visited the Temple in fear of the prophecy.

References

Budhanilkantha Temple Wikipedia