Kathmandu - Dhwaka Bahal

Little has been preserved of the old Dhwaka Bahal or Henakara Mahavihara. The shrine in the south-east corner was reconstructed fairly recently, perhaps after the 1934 earthquake.

In front of it are three votive stupas, of which two, dating from the Licchavi period, are among the most important examples of Buddhist sculpture in the Kathmandu Valley. The first consists of four standing Buddha figures (Buddha Shakyamuni, Maitreya, Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara) each with a meditating Buddha seated above. The second dates from the time of the Licchavi King Narendra Deva and is inscribed with the guiding principle of Buddhism.