Changu Narayan

Changu Narayan stands on a ridge above the Kathmandu valley and is generally held to be the oldest temple in it, a shrine to Vishnu whose site has been in continuous worship since at least the fifth century, as a stone inscription in the courtyard dated to 464 records. The present two-tiered pagoda, rebuilt after a fire, is surrounded by an astonishing collection of stone sculpture spanning more than a thousand years, including a great kneeling Garuda with a human face said to be among the oldest such figures in Nepal, a ten-armed Vishnu, and struts and doorways of very fine woodcarving. It is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage listing but sees a fraction of the crowds of the durbar squares, and the small village beside it, with its museum of Newar life, is a quiet place. The 2015 earthquake damaged parts of the complex and restoration has continued since.

History

The temple, dedicated to Vishnu, was built in the 4th century and is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Nepal; it once stood in a forest of champak trees, and one story names it after Champak, a Kashmiri princess married to the prince of Bhaktapur, while the Bhasa Vamshavali tells of a Brahmin who struck a man drinking his cow's milk under a champak tree and found he had wounded Vishnu. Its pillar inscription, made under the Licchavi king Manadeva, who reigned from 464 to 505, is among the oldest in Nepal; Georg Bühler and Bhagwanlal Indraji first published it in 1885 in Twenty-three Inscriptions from Nepal, and in 1979 the temple became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Changu Narayan Temple).

What's there

• The pagoda temple - the two-tiered shrine with its gilded doorway and carved struts.
• The Garuda - the ancient kneeling stone figure facing the temple.
• The fifth-century inscription - the dated stone that anchors the site's antiquity.
• The sculpture collection - a thousand years of stone carving around the courtyard.

When to go

October to April is clearest and most comfortable; the ridge catches a breeze and views over the valley are best after rain has cleared the air. Mornings are quiet. It combines naturally with Bhaktapur below or with a walk down from Nagarkot.

Good to know

It is small and a visit is a couple of hours, so it is best paired with Bhaktapur rather than made a trip in itself. Earthquake damage and the long restoration mean scaffolding and closed sections at times. The village outside has grown a row of souvenir stalls. Non-Hindus may look at the temple from the courtyard but not enter the inner shrine.

Nearby

Bhaktapur's durbar square is twenty minutes below; Nagarkot's ridge viewpoint is a walk or drive away.

Key facts