Indreswor Mahadev Temple
Shree Goraknath Temple
Shree Gorakhnath temple is located at the top of the hill north-east of Panauti. There is a stepladder of stones from the bottom of the hill up to top. The temple was built in the remembrance of famous ‘Gorakhnath baba’.
The Gorakhnath hill is believed not to be affected by earthquake. The belief is making sense till now as it resisted the 2015 AD earthquake too. Scientists use to give the reason that the whole hill is made up by single stone.
Unmatta Bhairav Temple
Bramhayani Temple
Krishna Temple
The Krishna Narayan Temple is located on the north side of the tribeni ghats, a triangular spit of land at the confluence of the Punyamata and Rosi rivers. Dowman notes that a third “mythical” river, the supposed Gupta Khola (secret river), also runs southward down the mountainside near the Shree Brammayani Temple to form a three-river confluence known as a tribeni, an especially auspicious location.
This particular temple is dedicated to Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Narayan (Vishnu). Krishna’s various historical dramas are considerably complex; Slusser describes his stories as being “long and involved, filled with gods and kings, demons and monsters, cow herders and lovelorn maidens, together with an enormous cast of characters that tax the memory” (Slusser, p. 248). Krishna worship is particularly active in Nepal, with major temples dedicated to him. His various mandirs received considerable royal support; for example, Siddhi Nara Simha (r 1618-58) was a particular admirer and constructed the Krishna Mandir in Patan, which still stands today.
Krishna takes many guises, but at Panuati, he seems to be primarily portrayed as the “Cowherd King” in a cross-legged, standing pose playing the flute. This motif is repeated extensively on the roof brackets. Dowman describes this manifestation as “…the pastoral village hero, with divine magical and sexual powers, ever ready to play with his female admirers, the gopis, and to satisfy both their sensual and spiritual longing” (Dowman, p. 205). The episode with the gopis, wherein Krishna steals their clothes and ascends a tree—all the while playing his flute—may be seen on the north face of the adjacent Tribeni Ghat Sattal.
Tola Narayan Temple
Tola Narayan is a Hindu temple in Nepal. Tola Narayan is situated nearby to panauti police station and Panauti Museum.
It shelters a stone image of the Hindu God Vishnu / NARAYANA called TULA NARAYAN. In an inscription on a gold plate dating from 1400AD mentions King JAYASINGH RAMVARDHAN making an offering in Gold, called “TULADAN”, equal to his body weight. In front of the temple there is the stone column with a perforation on its top that supported the huge scales that were used on that occasion. Although the temple itself has been greatly restored over the centuries, the beautiful stone image of NARAYAN that you see today was presented and installed during the offering in 1382 AD and has never moved.
Bhadrakali Temple
Bhadrakali temple is located well to the west of the Tribeni Ghats where most of Panauti’s architectural heritage may be found. It is a four-story structure on the west side of a small courtyard, notable for the woodwork on its two toranas and an elegant lantern-like upper level with a single gajur (finial).
The temple is built for the worship of Bhadrakali, a fierce protective goddess and a manifestation of Kali or Chamunda, one of the eight Matrikas. According to MacDonald and Stahl, the temples of the Matrikas look like houses and are known as dyo che. The dyo che can be distinguished from ordinary houses as they include various elements that are more commonly found in temples, such as toranas, carved wooden brackets, and gajurs.
During the Panauti Jatra—a nine-day celebration—the deity’s image is brought down to the ground floor of the temple in a ceremony called dya kwô bijayegu, meaning “to bring down the goddess.” Worshippers sacrifice a goat and chicken in their honor and later provide other offerings such as alcohol. On the fourth day, the goddess receives new ornaments, and the statue is washed. In the evening, the goddess’s image is chauffeured around the city in a chariot, along with deities from three other significant temples: Indreshwar Mahadev, Unmatta Bhairav, and Brahmayani. On the sixth day, the chariot carrying Bhadrakali is intentionally bumped three times against the chariot carrying Unmatta Bhairav, symbolizing their copulation. After further festivities, the goddess is returned to her upper-level room in a ceremony called the dya ta bijayagu, the “ascent of the goddess” on the ninth day.