Kathmandu - Itum Bahal

Itum Bahal or Keshavacandra Mahavihara is one of the oldest of Kathmandu's Buddhist monasteries, founded in the 11th c. or even earlier. The torana above the entrance dates from the 16th c. The superb wood-carvings illustrate the temptation of Buddha. Demons and Mara's seductive daughter strive to distract him from his meditation but he resists, invoking the Earth as his witness by touching it with his right hand.

Although in poor condition the original structure of the monastery has been preserved. The two-storied buildings have the usual open ground floor, above which are windows with elaborately carved frames. Facing the entrance stands a shrine with two metal lions. Oil lamps hang in an arc above the steps. Note especially the four-headed, six-armed Tantric deity on the torana over the entrance to the shrine.

In the middle of the courtyard are another shrine and a stupa encircled by four standing Buddhas. This unusual composition is thought to be from the 11th or 12th c. The ancient roof struts above the entrance, carved in the early Malla period (14th c.), are particularly admired.

According to popular belief the man-eating Guru Mapa once dwelt in the monastery courtyard, his gargantuan appetite for little children causing their disappearance in large numbers. The inhabitants begged him to remove himself to Tundikhel, promising the annual sacrifice of a buffalo. The pact is kept to this day, every year a buffalo being offered to Guru Mapa in Tundikhel. The man-eater is pictured in embossed copper-work on the north wall; one plaque shows him devouring a child with relish, another consuming buffalo meat.