Jal Binayak Temple

Jal Binayak Temple ( Jal means water & Binayak is Lord Ganesh ), just below the Chobar Gorge / Manjushree Park, On the riverbank, One of the valley's most important Lord Ganesh shrine. Ganesh is one of the most popularly worshiped forms of divinity - as a remover of obstacles and the embodiment of good luck. He is the most beloved and revered of all the Hindu gods, and is always invoked first in any Hindu ceremony or festival. Ganesh is represented as a short, pot-bellied man with an elephant’s head with one tusk, four arms and a yellow skin. His vehicle is a tiny mouse.

Temple was built in the early 20th century. Present temple has been constructed in 1603 AD. On temple's eastern platform there is an aged & worn image of lord Shiva & Parvati in Uma-Maheshwor Pose, which predated temple by 500yrs, Although there was probably a temple here even earlier. The temple's Lord Ganesh image is very likeness to the elephant-headed huge rock. The triple roofed temple’s strut depicts eight Bhairav and eight Ashta Matrikas (Mother Goodness) with whom Lord Ganesh often appears. On the lower roof Lord Ganesh himself appears on some of the struts, with beautiful female figures standing beside him & tiny, brightly painted erotic depictions below. A bronze of Lord Ganesh Bahan 'vehicle' a Rat stands respectfully in the courtyard and face the shrine.

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Adinath Lokeshwar Temple

Adinath Lokeshwar is honored by Buddhists as a form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and by Hindus as Surya the Sun God. . Six figures of the Buddha are lined up beneath the temple's golden torana .His temple in Chobar stands at the highest point of the village on a site already in use in Licchavi times (some small votive stupas still survive). The temple once possessed a figure of Matsyendranath, but it was stolen by Bhopas and taken to Kerang.

The shikhara-style shrine in front of the temple has a Shiva lingam and is also said to be the entrance to a cave leading through the mountain to the Chobar Gorge. The three-storied pagoda, situated on the west side of the monastery courtyard and built originally in the 15th century, was reconstructed in 1640.

The frontage is decorated with pots, pans and water jugs hung there by young couples seeking to ensure a happy marriage. So many are wed that the utensils have to be taken down every ten years to make way for fresh ones.

Chilancho Vihar / Stupa

Chilancho stupa is located on the southern tip of the hill. The Stupa was built in 1509 in its present form after a Stupa of the same name in west Patan. It stands on a stepped platform surrounded by four smaller Stupas. All five are lavishly decorated with statues of the Dhyani Buddhas.

At the foot of the main Stupa inhabited Aksobhya, Buddha of the East, a shrine like building that is guarded by two small lions. Some buildings nearby with extremely attractive traditional facades were once part of a palace and monastery, the stupa had completely enclosed.

The wonderfully restored main monastery is situated on the south side. The archway above the entrance is an unusual Nepal for trio of eight-armed, three-headed characters in the type of Rajput princes. In the entrance are two stone lions and a bell.

Uma Maheshwor Temple

Uma Maheshwor Temple is another famous temple of Kirtipur. It is also known as Bhavani ShankarTemple and lies on one of the highest points of the town 1414 m altitude constructed by Vshwanath Raurta. The triple-roofed Uma Maheshwar Temple, or Hindu Kvat, is gotten by climbing the stone stairway by the saddle.

On either side of the beginning of the stairway is a stone elephant with spikes on them. The main deities in this temple are standing Lord Siva and Parvati.

The temple was originally built in 1673 AD and had four roofs. It was damaged in the earthquake of 1934 AD and was restored. Standing by the temple, one can enjoy the beautiful landscape of the valley including the Himalayan ranges.

According to www.lonelyplanet.com Says -

Unusally, the main image of Shiva and Parvati is a standing one, not in the standard Uma Maheshwar pose. To the left of the central image the god and his consort is a smaller image in the standard pose. The temple was originally built in 1673(some source say 1655) with four roofs until it was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1934. The bell to the right was cast in 1895 by “Gillett & Johnston Founders, Corydon”.

For More Information - http://www.scribd.com/doc/31608829/Ancient-Nepal-98-99-01

Bagh Bhairav Temple

Bagh Bhairav Temple is holy to both Hindus and Buddhists. Bagh Bhairav Temple is dedicated to God Bhairav in the form of a tiger. This god is regarded as the guardian of Kirtipur and the locals call it Ajudeu, a grandfather god. This temple was constructed between 1099 and 1126 AD by Shiva Deva. The temple lies at the height of 1405 m from sea level, from where a beautiful view of Kathmandu valley can be seen.

The temple is rectangular and lies within the area of 1500 sqm. There is a Temple Torana to the left of the entrance with Vishnu riding Garuda. Bhairav in the middle of Ganesh and Kumar is below them. To the right of the Bagh Bhairava Mandir stands an interesting sculpture thought to be of Kirti mata, mother of Kirtipur, depicted on her back giving birth to a still unidentified creature. Other sculptures in the vicinity of the temple include the Ashta Matrikas (the eight mother deities) dating from the 3rd or 4th century and a rare iconic portrayal of Shiva from the 6th century. These survivals from the Licchavi period show the site to be among the oldest in the valley. The upper section of the temple is covered with swords and shields that belonged to the troop of Kirtipur, who were defeat by the army of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Sacrifices are made here on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. The squat 16th century temple has wood-carvings and wall paintings, a rare combination in the Katmandu Valley. The paintings unfortunately are almost unrecognizable.

The temples were renovated in the years 1515 AD, 1803 AD, 1850 AD and 1961 AD.

For More Information - http://www.scribd.com/doc/31413331/Ancient-Nepal-108-01

Kirtipur Valley

Many places within the valley and indeed the close ones from the main city have remained isolated and unexplored. One such place is Kirtipur, a town that is very close from Kathmandu City but still far from the reach of tourism activities. Spread in 14 hectares of land, Kirtipur is located 7 km from the center of Kathmandu. In Nepali dialect Kirtipur means "a glorious town". Looking down from its natural order it has been the scan of many historic battles and many important moments in Nepal's history. History says that the ancient city Kirtipur was founded by Shiva Deva between 1099 AD & 1126 AD and during the reign of the Malla Kingdom in the 15th century the city was developed for human settlement.

The town is an ancient town, which consists of remarkable historical values and ethics. It is still an open museum of religion, culture and tradition and glorious work of Newari crafts and architecture, with majority of Newari community. Kirtipur town is harmonically convergence of Buddhist and Hindus. The town is not only of historic importance but is also important from the artistic point of view. Some of the finest temples, Chaityas and Stupas of valley are scattered through this typically built Newari City. Surrounded by stone sculptures, masterpieces of Nepalese art, these shrines are the hub of festivals and religious ceremonies (Jatras).

For More Information - http://www.kirtipur.gov.np/index.php?go=true