“CHANGUNARAYAN TEMLPE”

(LICHHIVI PERIOD ARCHITECTURE)

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

DEEPIKA LAMICHHANE AR. BISHWO SHAKYA
ROLL. NO. :760113 (NEPALESE ARCHITECTURE)
Location :
• Changu Narayan is the most important holy place
of Kathmandu valley listed in the world heritage site
by UNESCO.
• Lies on the hill top of Changu or Dolagiri in Bhaktapur
district.
• Located in changunarayan municipality of Bhaktapur .
• Located 18 km east of Kathmandu and 8 km north of
bhaktapur
Introduction:
• shrine is dedicated to lord Vishnu.
• considered to be the oldest temple
in the history of Nepal along with the oldest inscription.
• A pagoda-style Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu
in his incarnation as Narayan.
• temple is decorated with 10 incarnations of the Narayan.
• originally built around the 325 AD by licchhivi king Mandev.
• The temple consists of the oldest stone inscription in the Kathmandu valley, dating
from 464 AD which is in Sanskrit and tells how the king persuaded his mother not to
die by suicide after her husband’s death.
Objective:
• To know the historical and cultural importance of the temple.
• To know the architectural features of temple.
• To know the present condition of the temple and its surrounding.
• To identify the importance and problems of the area.
Historical background
According to the legend, lord Vishnu while fighting with the demon king Chanda ,
killed a Brahman named Sumati. Guru Sukracharya the teacher of the dead
Brahman was angry at Vishnu and cursed him that he will beheaded by a Brahman
in the future, after the incident Vishnu lived in the tree of champak (michelia) for
years.
In ancient time, a gwala brought cow from a Brahmin named sudarshan. The cow
was known for producing large quantity of milk but when gwala started milking her,
he got only small amount of milk. After this happened for long time he called
Brahmin saying the cow was mot giving enough milk. After observing the fact
together they went to keep an eye on cow next day and saw a small boy coming
out of champak tree and started drinking cow milk.
The two men thought the boy was evil and tree must be his home. So the
Brahman cut down the champak tree but the fresh human blood came out it. Both
men were worried if they committed crime and began to cry. Lord Vishnu emerge
from tree and told his story to them and disappeared . After that the two men
established a small temple in the name of lord Vishnu and started worshipping.
Surroundings:
• Human settlement is provided on the main way to temple courtyard.
• Newar people resides in and around chagunarayan area.
• Ancient stone tap is located on the way which existed since licchhavi period.
• Private museum is located on way to temple.

Stone tap Changu museum

Temple art and architecture
• two-storey roofed temple that stands on
a high plinth of stone which is built in pagoda
style architecture.
• The temple is surrounded by sculptures and arts
related to lord Vishnu.
• temples of lord Shiva, Asha Matrika,
Chinnamasta, Kileshwor and Krishna inside the
courtyard of main temple.
• four entrances are provided to the temple and these
gates are guarded by life size pairs of animals such as lions,
sarabhas, griffins and elephants on each side of the
entrances.
• The main image is worshipped by Hindu as a Garuda
Narayan and by Buddhists as a Hariharihari Vahan Lokeshwara.
 North gate
• Master plan of Changu
temple

satal

Nateswari temple Shiva linga temple

Kileshwor Mahadev
Parijat tree platform
Stone pillar
Historical inscription East gate
Main temple of lord Vishnu
Shiva temple
Ganesh statue
Laxmi Narayan chhinnamasta
temple

Statue of Vishnu
Vaikuntha Vishnu temple
 Temples in temple complex:

Shiva temple Vaikuntha Vishnu Statue of Vishnu Chhinnamasta temple

Ganesh statue Laxmi Narayan and Shiva temple Kileshwor mahadev and stone pillar with sankha
The following monuments are located while visiting the temple courtyard:
• Historical pillar: It was erected by Mandev in 464 AD which consists of oldest
inscription.
• Garuda: flying vehicle of lord Vishnu which has got human face and is a devotee of
Vishnu.
• Statue of Bhupalendra Malla: king of Kritipur
• Chanda Narayan (Garuda Narayan) : a 7th century stone sculpture of Vishnu riding on
garuda.
• Sridhar Vishnu: 9th century stone sculpture of Vishnu, Laxmi, and garuda which stands
on the pedestals of various motifs.
• Vaikuntha Vishnu: 16th century sculpture of Vishnu seated on the lalitasan position on
the six armed garuda and laxmi seated on the lap of Vishnu.
• Chhinnamasta : temple dedicated to chhinnamasta Devi, who beheaded herself and
offered her own blood to feed the hungry dankini and varnini.
• Vishworup: 7th century stone sculpture in which lord Krishna manifests his
universal from to his devotee Arjun.
• Narasimha: 7th century sculpture of Narasimha, an incarnation of lord Vishnu,
killing the demon king Hiranyakasyapa to save his devotee Prahalad.
• Kileshwor: small two- storied temple of lord Shiva, who is believed to have
appeared in this place for the protection of the hill.
Architectural components of temple:
• Gajur (pinnacle):
The pinnacle or the gajur is the top most portion of the structure. There is the presence
of single gajur in the main temple where as the Chinnamasta temple consists of five
gajur at its top. It is made up of heavy metals like copper, brass and iron and are plated
with gold. It is provided to cover the top joint of four sided sloping roof. The diminishing
size of the roof with the gajur on top is believed to facilitate god’s flight to heaven.
• Tundal (struts):
The tudal are made up of wooden members which are provided with detailed carvings
of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu and various multi-armed tantric goddesses. These
diagonal struts supports the temple’s two pagoda roofs.
• Tiered roof:
The series of two huge projecting roofs are set one above another. They are
generally square in plan and diminish in the size from the bottom to the top. They
are supported on the outer edges by wooden struts on the brick walls.
• Windows:
Decorative wooden windows are placed on each level under the tiered roofs. They
are placed on odd number(3) on each side of the walls .
Blind window:
• Made up of wood.
• Holds an image of deity.
• Height 18 inches.

Niches:
Provided below the tiered roof.
• Doors:
The doors of the temple are quite small. They are rarely 5 feet high and one must
step over a wooden ledge 6-12 inches in height which blocks the lower part of the
opening so one need to mind their head while entering the temple. The doors have
double shutters. They are generally of rectangular form but some doors have
curved arches. Various decorative wooden and metal doors can be found.
Torona:
Ornamental canopy set at the entrance or doors . These are highly ornamented and
consists the statues of lord Vishnu and other deities ,flora like full-blown lotus, the
vine and spray , animals like winged dragons, crocodiles, deer, elephants, doves,
peacocks and swans. They are either made up of metal or wood.
• Events and festivals
• Changunarayan jatra ( Jhigu mhasika):
Held every year on poush sukla purnima.

• Mahasnan:
Lasts for six days

• Jugadi nawami
• Haribodhi ekadasi
Analysis:
• Temple complex is under renovation after the earthquake in 2015.
• Main temple renovated where as the satals and other temples in the courtyard
are still under renovation.
• Lack of proper facilities of transportation, drinking water, etc.
• Lack of aware ness among people about the importance of the temple complex.
• Lack of sanitation and management around the temple complex.
Threats:
• Mining activities in the manohara stream near the temple complex has made
area prone to landslide.
• Overgrazing in the nearby forest has create the high risk of soil erosion and
landslide.
• Negligence in the security of the unique sculptures.
Conclusion:
Changu Narayan temple is the oldest temple with oldest inscription in which holds
great cultural, historical, and religious importance among Hindu and Buddhist
people. The main shrine dedicated to Vishnu is surrounded by the 10 incarnations
of lord Vishnu along with Chhinnamasta, Shiva and Ganesh temple. The temple
holds many festivals and fairs on various occasions. The inscriptions available in the
walls, pillars, gives useful information about Nepalese history.
Recommendations:
• Timely renovation of the temple complex should be carried out.
• Environmental sanitation and proper management should be done.
• Provision of proper security should be provided.
• Information centers should be built near the temple.
• Provision of infrastructures like transportation, drinking water, etc.
• Protection from landslide and soil erosion.
• References:
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org
• https://graduateway.com
• https://www.atlasobscura.com
• https://www.lonelyplanet.com