| Krishna
Mandir Temple (1637)
other
sites in Patan |
Patan, Nepal |
The Krishna temple on the west side of Patan's Darbar square was built in 1637. Legend says that it was built because of a dream. One night, King Siddhi Narasigh Malla dreamt that the gods Krishna and Radha were standing in front of the palace. The King ordered a temple built on the same spot. During a war with a neighboring kingdom a decade lator, the King emerged victorious after calling on Krishna to vanquish his enemies. In gratitude, the King built a replica of the temple inside the Sundari Chauk courtyard.
The Krishna temple is built in the Shikhara style, imported from India. Beneath its 21 golden pinnacles are three floors. The first floor enshrines Krishna, the second Shiva, and the third Lokeshwor. Scenes from the Ramayana narrated in Newari script decorate the interior of the temple.
The temple is managed by local Brahmins and is still used.
Bibliography:
All images copyright 2001 Kaye Yeo Ahn
Korn,
Wolfgang The Traditional Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley
University Press (Tribhuvan University). Kathmandu, Nepal.
1976
Kumar Lal Joshi and Om Prakash
Yadav, SUNDAY POST: The Weekly Magazine Of The Kathmandu Post
Kathmandu, Sunday,
March 19, 2000 Chaitra 06th, 2056.