The Temples and Stupas of Kirtipur

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The Uma Maheshwar temple is another famous temple of Kirtipur. It is also called Bhavani Shankar and is situated on one of the highest points of the town. It is dedicated to the divine couple, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. Near the temple is a famous fort. The temple was probably first built in 1673. It has been reconstructed several times because the wind on the hill at this point is most furacious and has frequently blown away the temple roofs.

The Bagh Bhairav temple is dedicated to the wrathful god Bhairav in the form of a bagh, or tiger. This god is regarded as the guardian deity of Kirtipur. The local people call it Ajudya, the grandfather god. It is worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists alike.

Probably constructed between 1099 and 1126, the three-storey temple is rectangular and sits in a large courtyard. The lower two roofs of the temple are tiled while the third is covered with gilt copper. Old weapons, especially swords and shields, are fixed on the front of the temple. They are said to be presented by the Newar troops after their conquest by Prithvi Narayan Shah. Some utensils are also fixed to the roofbeams of the second storey. The wooden roof struts are carved with erotic figures. Several small temples in the sikhara and pagoda styles stand nearby. Beside the temple are important stone sculptures, some thought to be more than 800 years old.

In the temple, an impressive image of a tiger made of clay but covered with silver is enshrined. The image of Bhairav is in a sitting pose with big eyes and a wide, open mouth which, curiously, has no tongue. He wears garlands of snakes and over his head is a leaf-shaped crown with a canopy of seven umbrellas.

There are some interesting legends connected with this temple. Once a vicious tiger was causing havoc in Kirtipur, destroying livestock and terrifying people. To appease the tiger the king made an image of the dreadful animal, which was ever after regarded as an incarnation of Bhairav, the god of destruction.

It is said that in earlier days the hill of Kirtipur was a forest where small children used to play while they looked after their grazing sheep. Once a young boy made a tiger of mud and put a leaf in its mouth for a tongue. Looking up from his play he was surprised to see that his sheep were all gone. He hunted around the hill for his lost sheep and when he returned to his play spot, the mud tiger opened its mouth. The leaf was gone and suddenly the boy saw that the clay model was possessed by a magical tiger. The local people enshrined the magic image, which is worshipped today, still without its tongue.

It enshrines a very beautiful stone image of Shiva and Parvati and is surrounded by some lovely sculptures of Shiva, Parvati and Vishnu. The three-story temple is made of brick and wood with tiled roofs. The pinnacle on top is decorated with lotus buds, a vase (kalash) and an ornamental jewel. On the left side of the temple hangs a big bell cast in 1895 by a British company.

Just before the entrance there is a small shrine called Lakshmi Narayan. Several flights of steps lead down from the main temple to smaller temples dedicated to Ganesh and Buddha. There is a flat open area which was a royal palace in the seventeenth century.

The Indrayani temple stands at the western end of the town and is dedicated to one of the important Valley matrikas, or mother goddesses. The old shrine has been badly damaged by a pipal tree growing by its side. A new brick canopy supported by four pillars has been erected over the deity.