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Nepali Mandir

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Nepali Mandir
Nepali Mandir in Varanasi
Nepali Mandir is located in Varanasi district
Nepali Mandir
Temple location on Varanasi district map
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictVaranasi
DeityLord Shiva
FestivalsMahashivratri
Nag Panchami
Location
LocationLalita Ghat, Varanasi
StateUttar Pradesh
Country India
Coordinates25°18′35″N 83°00′46″E / 25.309821°N 83.012859°E / 25.309821; 83.012859
Architecture
TypePagoda
CreatorRana Bahadur Shah &
Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah
(Kings of Nepal)
Completed1843
Elevation78.161 m (256 ft)

Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Mahadev Mandir,[a] also known as the Nepali Mandir,[b] Kanthwala Mandir,[c] and Mini Khajuraho,[d] is one of the oldest and most famous temples in the holy city of Varanasi. The temple holds great religious importance in Hinduism and is dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Constructed in the 19th century by the Kings of Nepal, the temple is built using terracotta, stone and wood and is replica of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

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The King of Nepal, Rana Bahadur Shah took exile in Varanasi from 1800 to 1804 and titled himself as "Swami Nirgunanda". During his exile, he decided to build a replica of Pashupatinath Temple in Varanasi. Construction began during his stay there. However, Shah returned to Kingdom of Nepal on March 1804 before the temple was completed. On 25 April 1806, Rana Bahadur Shah was beheaded on the spot by his half-brother, Sher Bahadur Shah, after threatening him with execution. His son, Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah, later completed the project around 20 years after its originally intended completion date. In 1842, the land was transferred to Rana Bahadur Shah by Kashi Naresh. The temple complex along with the surrounding area, Lalita Ghat, and a dharamshala, is owned by the Government of Nepal.[1][2][3][4][5]

Construction

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The temple is built using terracotta, stone and wood and took three decades to complete. The wood is termite proof. It is constructed in Nepali architecture style and is surrounded by tamarind and ficus religiosa (peepal) trees. The temple has Pagoda style architecture, mainly carved out of wood. It has sculptures similar to ones displayed in Khajuraho Group of Monuments and hence it is also called "Mini Khajuraho".[1][2][3][4][5]

Location

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The Nepalese Temple – Varanasi, photographed by Samuel Bourne in the late 1860s.

Nepali Mandir is located on Lalita Ghat in Varanasi. It is 3.8 kilometers South-East of Varanasi Junction railway station and 100 meters South-West of Manikarnika Ghat.[6]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Nepali: श्री साम्राजेश्वर पशुपतिनाथ महादेव मन्दिर; Hindi: श्री साम्राजेश्वर पशुपतिनाथ महादेव मंदिर
  2. ↑ Nepali: नेपाली मन्दिर; Hindi: नेपाली मंदिर
  3. ↑ Nepali: कन्थवाला मन्दिर; Hindi: कन्थवाला मंदिर
  4. ↑ Nepali: मिनी खजुराहो; Hindi: मिनी खजुराहो

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Nepali Mandir". ixigo.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "A piece of Nepal in Varanasi". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "This ghat of Goddess Lalita". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Kathwala Temple". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Information". buzzntravel. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Location". Google Maps. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
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