Early modern · Hindu · Nepal

Changu Narayan Temple

Bhaktapur, Bagmati · 27.7160°, 85.4280°

Vishnu (Narayana)LicchaviNewar pagodaUNESCO World Heritage
Sacred since
464 CE
Manadeva's pillar inscription of 464 CE — Nepal's oldest
Standing structure
rebuilt 1702 after fire; site from 4th–5th c.
Licchavi

History & significance

The oldest attested temple site of Nepal, crowning a ridge east of Kathmandu: King Manadeva's 464 CE Garuda pillar inscription is the country's earliest written document, and the courtyard is an open-air museum of Licchavi sculpture — including a celebrated Vishnu Vishvarupa and the kneeling Garuda said to bear Manadeva's own features. Restored after the 2015 earthquake.

Sthala katha — the legend

A brahmin's cow grazing at Champak grove gave no milk; watching, he saw a dark boy emerge from a tree to drink it. He felled the tree — blood flowed, revealing Vishnu, who confessed to slaying a brahmin unknowingly and accepted worship here in expiation.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Licchavi