Changu Narayan

The main temple, rebuilt around 1700, stands in a quiet quadrangle of rest houses and pilgrims' shelters.
 

The oldest temple in the valley is the Changu Narayan Temple, located 22 km from Kathmandu and a 25-minute drive from Bhaktapur city. The original temple was built in the 4th century during the time of the Lichhavi rulers and is perched on a hill overlooking the nearby city. Much of it was rebuilt in the 18th century.
This temple is known for its beauty, location and age. It is a Vishnu temple. One of the oldest Lichhavi period stone inscriptions is also found here.  A Vishnu image with ten heads and ten arms is another fine example of stone carving from the 5th century. The struts of the two-tiered temple depict the ten incarnations in which Narayan destroyed evildoers. A 6th century stone statue shows the cosmic form of Vishnu, while another recalls the dwarf incarnation in which he crushed the evil King Bali. Garuda, the steed of Vishnu, kneels before the temple. The statue of Vishnu astride his steed is a popular favorite.

Tamang villages between Telkot and Changu Narayan

The hike to the Changu Narayan temple complex and then on to Bhaktapur is a very enjoyable day hike. The route passes through small villages and farmlands that are almost always bustling with activity as the farmers work their fields.

To begin the hike, get on a bus from Bhaktapur towards Nagarkot. Get off the bus at Telkot half-way to Nagarkot. From Telkot it is one and a half hours' pleasant walk to Changu Narayan. The walk follows the saddle of a ridge with great views of the valley on one side and the Himalayas on the other. From the temple it is another 1 ½ hours down to Bhaktapur.

                  

Changu Narayan has the finest collection of ancient statues outside the National Museum
 

	Probably dating from the sixth century, Changu Narayan's celebrated statue of Garud kneels before the temple, looking human but for a pair of wings and a cobra scarf.
	At the northwest corner of the compound, the twelfth- or thirteenth-century Vishnu Vaikunthanata - reproduced on the Nepalese ten-rupee note - shows a purposeful Vishnu riding Garud
	The eighth-century Vishnu Trivikranta Murti, Vishnu of the Three Strides, illustrates a much-loved story in which the god reclaimed the universe from the demon king Bali. Disguised as a dwarf (another of his ten incarnations), Vishnu petitioned Bali for a patch of ground where he could meditate, which need only be as far as the dwarf could cover in three strides; when Bali agreed, Vishnu grew to his full divine height and bounded over the earth, sky and heavens.

Wooden struts and decorations of the main temple
 

Kathmandu Valley		Turmeric/ Gurkemeje