Thursday, November 17, 2011

Adinath Lokeshwar Temple of kirtipur

Adinath Lokeshwar is honored by Buddhists as a form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and by Hindus as Surya the Sun God. . Six figures of the Buddha are lined up beneath the temple's golden torana .His temple in  Chobar stands at the highest point of the village on a site already in use in Licchavi times (some small votive stupas still survive). The temple once possessed a figure of Matsyendranath, but it was stolen by Bhopas and taken to Kerang.

The shikhara-style shrine in front of the temple has a Shiva lingam and is also said to be the entrance to a cave leading through the mountain to the Chobar Gorge. The three-storied pagoda, situated on the west side of the monastery courtyard and built originally in the 15th century, was reconstructed in 1640.


The frontage is decorated with pots, pans and water jugs hung there by young couples seeking to ensure a happy marriage. So many are wed that the utensils have to be taken down every ten years to make way for fresh ones.

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