Patan - Kwa Bahal

The so-called Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal or Hiranyavarna Mahavihara) is the richest monastery in Patan, the chief source of its wealth being trade with Tibet. A free-standing shrine with a gilded roof tapering to a gajur (bell-shaped top) occupies the center of the temple court. Beyond it the broad-fronted three-storied temple with its gilded and silvered façades stands in all its splendor.

A beautifully worked silver torana representing some of the finest craftsmanship anywhere in the Kathmandu Valley embellishes the entrance. Until the beginning of the 20th c. its place was occupied by an older, almost identical work in copper gilt. This can now be seen above the entrance to the bahal itself.

Around the courtyard, in which no shoes or leather goods are allowed, runs a raised veranda, its railings hung with oil lamps and prayer wheels. Guarding the corners are four magnificent bronze Bodhisattvas, of which three, including the unfortunately damaged 9th or 10th c. image in the north-west corner and the image in the north-east corner with a figure of Amitabha embellishing the ornate crown, are statues of Padmapani Lokeshvara. The fourth, in the south-east corner, is a statue of Manjushri which, like the third Padmapani Lokeshvara in the south-west corner, is believed to date from the 14th c.