Overview
In Patan Durbar Square, one of the very few temples in the Kathmandu Valley built in the North Indian shikhara style rather than the local pagoda form, and carved entirely in stone.
History
Historically dated: built in 1637 CE by the Malla king Siddhi Narasimha Malla, confirmed by two sources. Shikhara style, entirely stone, with narrative reliefs from the two epics. 2015 earthquake. Significantly damaged in the 2015 earthquake; reported as restored and reopened by 2018.
Spiritual Significance
Its stone carving is its argument. The temple's upper storeys carry extensive narrative relief telling episodes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, so the building functions as a text as well as a shrine. That it was built in a style imported from the plains, in a valley committed to the pagoda, makes it a deliberate statement by its patron.
Prayers at Krishna Mandir, Patan
आरती कुंजबिहारी की
बंशी शोभित कर मधुर,नील जलद तन श्याम। अरुण अधर जनु बिम्बा फल,पिताम्बर शुभ साज॥
अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं नयनं मधुरं हसितं मधुरम्।
श्री बाँकेबिहारी तेरी आरती गाऊँ
भज गोविन्दम् भज गोविन्दम्
Pilgrimage Information
No entry restriction on non-Hindus was documented in the sources consulted. Nepal restricts entry to several major temples, sometimes only to the inner sanctum and sometimes to the whole compound. Where this page records a restriction it is what sources state; where sources conflict it says so. Confirm locally before travelling a long way.
Sources
- Krishna Mandir, Patan other
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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