The Nyatapola Temple

Nyatapola Temple is a 5 story pagoda located in Bhaktapur, Nepal.The temple was erected by Nepali King Bhupatindra Malla during a 5 month period from late 1701 into 1702. It is the temple of Siddha Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity.This beautifully sculptured building is considered one of the tallest pagodas in the country and is a lovely example of the immense workmanship that went into buildings of this type. This five-storey temple with a five-tier roof that stands just over thirty meters high can be reached by walking up a flight of steps that leads to the top of the platform. As you walk up these terraces you will notice that there are statues on either side of you, on every step.

The Nyatapola temple was built and dedicated to the goddess Siddhi Lakshmi or Siddhi Laxmi, providing the Nepalese with a place to worship her. Like so many of the other temples the image of the goddess that is contained within the temple of Nyatapola is viewed strictly by the priests only. Dominating Taumadhi Square is the Nyatapola Temple, a five-tiered pagoda dedicated to the Hindu goddess Siddhi Lakshmi. She is the wrathful manifestation of the Goddess Durga. The temple rests on a base of five levels with four Ganesh shrines in each of the corners. Nyatapola means “five-story temple” in the Newari language. Legend tells of the days when the angry god Bhairab was causing havoc in society (1702 AD). Bhairab’s temple stood in Taumadhi Square. To counteract his destructive behavior the king decided to build a more powerful temple right in front of the Bhairab Temple. To make the brick and wood temple strong and powerful, King Bhupatendra Malla ordered guardians be placed in pairs on each level of the base leading up to the Nyatapola Temple. On the first level is a pair of likenesses of Bhaktapur’s strongest man, Jaya mal Pata, a famous wrestler. Next, two elephants followed by two lions, two griffins and finally “Baghini” and “Singhini”, the tiger and lion goddesses. After subduing Bhairab, peace prevailed in the city. The Temple is the tallest temple in the Kathmandu Valley and stands 30 m high. It was so well designed that it withstood a powerful 8.3 earthquake in 1934.

The Legend

Legend tells of the days when the angry god Bhairab was causing havoc in society (1702 AD). Bhairab’s temple stood in Taumadhi Square. To counteract his destructive behavior the king decided to build a more powerful temple right in front of the Bhairab Temple. To make the brick and wood temple strong and powerful, King Bhupatendra Malla ordered guardians be placed in pairs on each level of the base leading up to the Nyatapola Temple. On the first level is a pair of likenesses of Bhaktapur’s strongest man, Jaya mal Pata, a famous wrestler. Next, two elephants followed by two lions, two griffins and finally “Baghini” and “Singhini”, the tiger and lion goddesses. After subduing Bhairab, peace prevailed in the city. The Temple is the tallest temple in the Kathmandu Valley and stands 30 m high. It was so well designed that it withstood a powerful 8.3 earthquake in 1934. The image of Siddhi Lakshmi is locked within the temple and only the priests are allowed to enter to worship her. The five-storeyed temple, locally known as Nyatapola, is an impressive and famous temple of Nepal, standing in the northern side of Taumarhi square in Bhaktapur. This is the only temple that is named after the dimension of architecture rather than from the name of the deity residing inside.