Patan - Krishna Mandir 
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Six and a half years in building, the Krishna Mandir was completed under Siddhi Narasimha Malla in 1637. The elegant shikhara-style temple ranks as one of the gems of Durbar Square. Encircled at ground floor level by an arcade, tier upon tier of small shrine-like pavilions culminate in a slender central tower. An inscription likens the temple with its 21 pinnacles to the sacred Mount Meru, abode of the god Shiva.
The temple is noteworthy not only for the excellence of its architecture but also for its detail, the reliefs being executed with a precision rarely found in wood let alone stone. This is especially true of the scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics which, complete with Newari commentary, embellish the ledges of the first and second floors. The unusual floral decoration of the arcade echoes the Islamic architecture of northern India, as indeed does the temple as a whole.
The temple is noteworthy not only for the excellence of its architecture but also for its detail, the reliefs being executed with a precision rarely found in wood let alone stone. This is especially true of the scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics which, complete with Newari commentary, embellish the ledges of the first and second floors. The unusual floral decoration of the arcade echoes the Islamic architecture of northern India, as indeed does the temple as a whole.
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