Changu Narayan Temple is a pagoda-style Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu in his incarnation as Narayan. It was originally built around the 4C, but the present temple was rebuilt in 1702 after it was destroyed by fire. It is situated on a ridge at 1541m overlooking the Kathmandu Valley, about 22 km to the east of Kathmandu and 6 km north of Bhaktapur. Though the temple is quite beautiful, especially the doors and front facade, Changu Narayan is not known for its temple but for the stone statues, bas-relief carvings, and inscriptions that are scattered around the temple courtyard, created between the 5th and 13th century.
On the west side of Changu Narayan Temple is the oldest stone inscription in the Kathmandu Valley, dating from 464AD. The inscription is in Sanskrit and tells how the king persuaded his mother not to commit ritual suicide after his father’s death.
Vishnu is engraved in the brass work of the torana above the main west door of the Changu Narayan Temple in the Kathmandu Valley.
Changu Narayan Temple
On the west side of Changu Narayan Temple is the oldest stone inscription in the Kathmandu Valley, dating from 464AD. The inscription is in Sanskrit and tells how the king persuaded his mother not to commit ritual suicide after his father’s death.