Changu Narayan is the temple of Vishnu, the Preserver, in the village of Changu in Bhaktapur. The origins of Changu Narayan goes back to the fourth century. A fifth century stone inscription in the temple proclaims it as one of the oldest shrines of the Kathmandu Valley. The temple is believed to be sixteen hundred years old. It is embellished by the best examples of stone, wood, and metal craft.
Fast Facts
| Location | 22 km from Kathmandu |
| Importance | Oldest temple in Kathmandu valley |
| Built in | 4th century A.D. |
| Devoted to | Hindu Lord Shiva |
| Major Attraction | Vishnu image with ten heads and ten arms |
- It is the oldest temple in Kathmandu valley.
- A Vishnu idol with ten heads and ten arms is a fine example of stone carving from the 5th century.
- The temple is of great importance due to its idols and shrines having rich architectural beauty.
Places to be Seen
- Garuda Narayana Temple
- Shrine of King Bhupalendra Malla and his mother
- Krishna Shrine
- Nateshvara Shrine
- Sculpture of Sri Mahadev
- Sculpture of Garuda
- Shrine of Somalingeshvara
- Sculptures: Vishnu, Durga Avalokitesvara and Garuda Ganesh
- Ganesh Shrine
- Bhagvati Temple
- Vishnu Vikranta
- Vishnu Vishvarupa
- Lakshmi Temple Shiva Temple
- Stone Column
Legendary places in the temple
Garuda Idol
Inside the Changunarayan temple is a esteemed figure of Garuda. The statue is offered sweets by the devotees every year on Nag Panchami. This is done in remembrance of the epic struggle with the great snake Taksaka. The drops of moisture, believed to be effective against diseases such as leprosy and ulcers, are collected by the priests.
King Bhupendra Malla Statues
Statues of King Bhupalendra Malla of Kathmandu and his mother can also be seen in a shrine. Bloody fighting characterised their politics during the 17th century but both were generous when it came to revering the gods.
Vishnu Sculpture
To the north of the temple is a sculpture of Lord Vishnu seated on Garuda (Garudasana Vishnu). This image appears on the Nepalese 10 rupee note. Vishnu sculpture dates back to 9th century.
Important Vishnu Sculptures
Vishwaroop
Vishwaroop sculpture, dating back to 8th century A.D., presents Lord Vishnu in his universal form.
Vishnu Vikrant
The stone idol, harking back to the 8th century A.D, is of the most powerful form of Lord Vishnu. It is related to the Hindu legend of Vaman, an incarnation of Vishnu, who measured space with feet.
Vishnu Riding Garuda
This figure of Vishnu mounting Garuda, the mythical bird, dates back to the 10th century A.D.
Narsimhha Vishnu
This form of Lord Vishnu, the Narsimha, is in half human and half lion form.
On the struts of the two-tiered Changu Narayan Temple, are the ten incarnations of Narayan. A sixth-century stone statue shows the cosmic form of Vishnu. Garuda, half man and half bird, is the steed of Vishnu, and his life-sized statue kneels before the temple.
Situated on a beautiful hill the square two storeyed temple stands in the centre of a brickpaved courtyard, with the main structure raised on a three tier diminishing plinth, with doors on all four sides, although the western door is the main en- trance to the sanctum. The doors have pairs of carvings of animals such as li- ons, horses, griffins and elephants, with the main western door richly carved in brass, with a brass tympanum above the door. (one of the most beautiful pieces of brass work of medieval Nepal).
The roof is supported by 24 struts or brackets, which serve as decoration and to support the temple roof. They are beautifully carved and hung at a 45 de- gree angle. They represent the ten major incarnations of Vishnu and his various manifestations. Though a Vishnu temple the struts also depict Manjushree and Buddha. To the south some of the struts have as many as twenty arms, and carrying various attributions they represent the whole Hindu philosophy. The Buddhist community from the Kathmandu Valley also pay tribute to Changu Narayan as the Haribahana Lokeswar and Kileswar Shiva as Samantabhadra Lokeswar.
Situated on a beautiful hill the square two storeyed temple stands in the centre of a brickpaved courtyard, with the main structure raised on a three tier diminish- ing plinth, with doors on all four sides, although the western door is the main en- trance to the sanctum. The doors have pairs of carvings of animals such as li- ons, horses, griffins and elephants, with the main western door richly carved in brass, with a brass tympanum above the door. (one of the most beautiful pieces of brass work of medieval Nepal).
The courtyard has many other temples such as that of Kileswar Shiva, Chinnamasta Devi and other figures like that of Garuda from the 5th century; Vishnu mounted on Garuda from the 7th/ 8th centuries; Vishnu surrounded by Laxmi and Garuda from the 10th/11th centuries; and the cosmic universal form of Vishnu shown to Arjuna in the great battle of Mahabharata; plus other multiheaded and multiarmed Vishnu.
From the temple one can see the beautiful Manohara river flowing like a serpent through green fields, and to the north on a clear day one can see many Himalayan peaks. A whole day is needed to study and enjoy Changu Narayan, just 15 kilometers from Kathmandu city
Changu Narayan is the name of the deity enshrined in the Changu Narayan Temple, located near Changu village in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples of the valley, and is believed to be constructed in the 3rd century. Changu Narayan is the name of Vishnu, and the Temple is dedicated to him. A stone slab discovered in the vicinity of the temple dates to the 5th century, and is the oldest such stone inscription discovered in Nepal.The Changu Narayan Temple is one of seven structures cited by UNESCO as demonstrating the historic and artistic achievements that make the Kathmandu Valley a World Heritage Site.
Changu Narayan: Narayan, or Vishnu, is the preserver of creation to Hindus. His temple near Changu village is often described as the most ancient temple in the Kathmandu Valley. a fifth century stone inscription, the oldest to be discovered in Nepal, is located in the temple compound and it tells of the victorious King Mandev. The temple, now covers sixteen hundred years of Nepalese art history. The temple, built around the third century, is decorated by some of the best samples of stone, wood, and metal craft in the valley. In the words of one tourist guide, "When you look upon Changu Narayan, you observe the complete cultural development of the Valley".
On the struts of the two-tiered Changu Narayan Temple, are the ten incarnations in which Narayan destroyed evil-doers. A sixth-century stone statue shows the cosmic from of Vishnu, while another statue recalls his dwarf incarnation when he crushed the evil King Bali. Vishnu as Narsingha disembowelling a demon is particularly stunning. The western bronze doors sparkle in the evening sunlight, dragons decorate the bells, and handsome devas stare from the walls. Garuda, half man and half birds, is the steed of Vishnu, and his life-sized statue kneels before the temple. The favorite of many tourists is the statue of Vishnu sitting astride his steed.
In the cold season, in the early morning, only a few hilltops protrude from the mist-wrapped Kathmandu Valley. Near the Valley’s eastern rim the full burst of the rising sun catches one such hilltop and illuminated the sanctuary of Changu Narayan. Already the priest in the inner shrine is performing the rites of daily worship, and devotees from the surrounding village of Changu are bringing their offering of fruit and flowers to Narayan, the Lord of Men, the Creator, the Preserver. For more than half a million mornings Changu Narayan has received this same oblation from his faithful adherents.
The Benign, the Glorious, Changu Narayan is enshrined in the largest of the Kathmandu Valley’s pagoda temples. Last restored in the eighteenth century, this Newari-style jewel of temple architecture stands in a wide courtyard surrounded by pilgrim shelters and small shrines. The two-storey brick pagoda incorporates some fine woodwork, particularly in the roof struts, and the western doorway is sheathed in finely-worked repoussé copper and canopied by an extraordinary repoussé tympanum. However, this evidence of devotion of patron and artisan in recent centuries is overshadowed by masterpieces in stone, still in situ, sculpted by masters of earlier times.
The original shrine of Changu Narayan was built by king of the Lichhavi dynasty (c. 330-879 AD.), kings of a race of conquerors from the south. For them and their successors the concept of the Supreme God was much larger than the Valley, even cosmic in extent and was expressed by their sculptors’ portrayal of the majesty of divinity and the benevolence of the universe in stone. The size of their images, the ambition of their themes, and the grace and power of their execution place their work amongst Asia’s most magnificent artistic achievements.
The image of Changu Narayan in the inner shrine is of Vishnu (for Narayan is Vishnu himself) riding his mount Garuda, the old sun-god, bird with human face. A ninth-century replica in the courtyard portrays a divinely distant yet benevolent Vishnu, evoking a past as removed as Tutankhamen. A later portrayal from the Malla period shows the softening of the notion of god and a more intimate deity. Garuda by himself is celebrated outside the shrine, in a massive yet delicate portrait of devotion. His face, so it is said, is that of the great Lichhavi King Manadeva, the king who declared his triumphs on the inscribed pillar that stands close by and which was probably erected to hold the Garuda aloft, although a later earthquake brought him low.
The benign presence of Vishnu, the Savior, is incarnate in many forms, called avatars, to deliver both men and gods from the power of ignorance. In the courtyard are shrines to Krishna, sometime solace to women everywhere and moderator of Armageddon; to Narasingha, the man lion who tore to pieces a usurping demon; and also to Vishnu Vikranta, the Striding Vishnu, incarnated as a Brahmin dwarf to counter the threat of a tyrant demon. Granted the boon of possessions in three steps, the dwarf returned to his cosmic form and strode around the universe in two strides and with a third brought the demon to hell. This difficult theme is represented in the Changu courtyard in a powerful ninth-century relief, perhaps the most impressive of its type in the subcontinent.
At the start of an ancient Indian Armageddon, Arjuna the charioteer lost heart at the prospect of wreaking death and destruction upon his kith and kin. He sought comfort and strength from Lord Krishna, his driver and Vishnu’s avatar, who enheartened him with a vision of his ultimate, all-encompassing nature. This vision is known as Vishwarupa, the Cosmic Form. In Changu’s courtyard is a relief sculpture of this theme that shows late Lichhavi art at its most magnificent. The work is too small to be devotion and minute examination of the extra-ordinary detail of the netherworld inhabited by nage serpents, the middle world of elephants and a noble mankind, and the heavens, all of which are included in the vision of Vishnu’s nature. The god himself stands, ten headed, passive and benign, triumphant and transcendent, above and beyond his creation.
The power place of Changu Narayan will be claimed by the devotees of Vishnu. But, in a small temple close by, the highly significant Kileswor Mahadev resides in a lingam, the representation of Lord Shiva. Buddhists worship here, and call the deity Avalokiteswara. Tibetans come here pilgrimage and even tourists are permitted into the sacred surrounds. When the sun sets and leaves the golden roofs in darkness, Changu Narayan, the Lord of Men, has preserved the universe for all mankind for yet another day.
fantastic article
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