Nala Attractions

The perfectly proportioned Bhagavati Mandir stands in a courtyard at the highest point in the village. One of two four-storied temples in the Valley, it towers high above the surrounding buildings. The mandir as seen today was constructed in 1647 during the reign of King Jaghat Prakasha Malla. The religious symbol however is older, dating from the 12th c., the passage of time and centuries of devotion having transformed it into a virtually formless stele. The façade of the temple is festooned with offerings - mainly domestic items such as pots, pans and sauce ladles, even the occasional kitchen clock.

Situated on the perimeter of the village is a Buddhist shrine dedicated to Lokeshvara, or Karunamaya. The white-faced idol, magnificently arrayed and bearing a crown, shows an unmistakable resemblance to the Shveta Matsyendranath in Kathmandu. The inhabitants of Nala being almost exclusively Hindu, the Buddhist Lokeshvara had few followers, as a result of which the temple was long neglected. Kathmandu's Buddhist community recently resolved to revive the shrine and financed its restoration, since when a procession takes place there annually.