HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hiraṇyavarṇa Mahāvihāra ( ne, हिरण्यवर्ण महाविहार), also Kwa Baha: ( ne, क्वबहा:) informally called The Golden Temple with literal meaning "Gold-colored Great Monastery", is a historical vihara (Buddhist monastery) situated in
Patan, Nepal Lalitpur Metropolitan City, historically Patan ( sa, पाटन ''Pāṭana'', Nepal bhasa : '' Yela'', ), is the fourth most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bharatpur, and it is located in the south-central part of Kat ...
.Hiranya Varna Mahabihar.htm


History

This golden pagoda of
Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
was built in the twelfth century by King
Bhaskar Varman Bhaskaravarman () (600–650), the last of the Varman dynasty, was an illustrious king of medieval Kamarupa. After being captured by the Gauda king during the reign of his father, he was able to re-establish the rule of the Varman's. He made ...
. Inside the upper storey of the pagoda is the golden image and a large
prayer wheel A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel () on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or coarse cotton, widely used in Tibet and areas where Tibetan culture is predominant. Traditionally, a mantra is written in Ranjana script or Tibe ...
. According to legend Hiranya Varna Mahavihar was built at a location where a rat chases a cat. Rats were still being fed at the site in 1994, but this may have changed over the years. The buildings of the courtyard sustained structural damage during the 2015 earthquake. In July 2021 a start was made with the restoration.


Architecture

Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is built in the style of a Nepalese bahal. The courtyard is a rectangular, almost square space. In the western corner there is an inconspicuous entrance, but the main entrance is on the south-eastern side on the Kwalakhu Road.


Main Gate

The main gate is made of stone and flanked by a pair of stone lions, one male and one female. The gate is adorned with a stone torana and several other sculptures, including a
multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all Eu ...
inscription. The door has a relief of
Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhaira ...
s eyes on it. Immediately after passing the door and looking up, one sees a
Kalachakra ''Kālacakra'' () is a polysemic term in Vajrayana Buddhism that means "wheel of time" or "time cycles". "''Kālacakra''" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. The ta ...
mandala on the ceiling of the entry gate. Stepping further inside one enters an open corridor, with a disused
tutedhara A ( Nepali) or ( Newari) is a traditional drinking fountain found in Nepal. It is a water reservoir built out of stone with a tap that can be opened and closed. These structures are either free-standing or integrated into the wall of another bu ...
(drinking fountain) built into the wall on the left. At the end there is another richly adorned gate, which gives access to the courtyard. Apart from the abundance of Buddhism related sculptures, some Hindu sculptures can be seen here. Incarnations of Vishnu en Shiva, for instance, appear as roof struts that support the roof above the gate. Having passed this second arch, one enters a small vestibule with sculptures of
Mahakala Mahākāla is a deity common to Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as the sacred '' Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma"), while in Hinduism, Mahākāla is a fierce manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva and t ...
and
Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...
on the wall. Images of Mahakala and Ganesha, protectors of the other gods of the
Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...
, guarding the entrance of a vihara is a regular occurrence in Nepal.Nepal Mandala: A Cultural Study of the Kathmandu Valley, Text. 1
by Mary Shepherd Slusser, p.291, Princeton University Press, 1982, retrieved 1 March 2020
There is a bell tower on top of this gate. On the courtyard side the entrance is flanked by two golden elephants standing on tortoises. Above the door is a gilt copper torana. This torana was originally located at the main shrine, but was replaced there by a silver copy, donated during the reign of king
Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज पृथ्वी वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (18 August 1875 – 11 December 1911) was King of Nepal from 1881 until 1911. Among the mos ...
(1881-1911).


Sculptures

The first sculpture one encounters in the courtyard is a
Dharmadhatu Dharmadhatu (Sanskrit) is the 'dimension', 'realm' or 'sphere' (dhātu) of the Dharma or Absolute Reality. Definition In Mahayana Buddhism, dharmadhātu ( bo, chos kyi dbyings; ) means "realm of phenomena", "realm of truth", and of the noumenon ...
mandala on a lotus pedestal, with a
vajra The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shape ...
on top. Until recently it was protected by a canopy with
prayer wheel A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel () on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or coarse cotton, widely used in Tibet and areas where Tibetan culture is predominant. Traditionally, a mantra is written in Ranjana script or Tibe ...
s attached to the supports. There is another vajra on the opposite side of the courtyard in front of the main shrine, next to a fire pit. Several more sculptures can be found in the courtyard. There are three images of Padmapani Lokeshvara in each of three corners of the verandah and an image of
Manjushri Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumāra ...
in the fourth, for instance, and in the corners below there are four metal statues of monkeys.


Swayambhu Stupa

In the centre of the courtyard there is an enshrined
chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...
, identified with Swayambhu. It is believed to be older than the golden temple itself. It has four doors, each with a torana, but only the door opposite the main shrine can be readily accessed. On the banisters around the chaitya there are 12 Lokeśvara images and four Buddha sculptures. The four corners of the temple are protected by metal leogryphs. The gilt roof has umbrellas in different layers and carries images of snakes. The side of the chaitya that is turned towards the main shrine is adorned with several other metal and stone sculptures. Once a year the chaitya is doused with milk. The milk flows through the spout outside of one of the banisters and falls on a stone that symbolises
Vasuki Vasuki (IAST: ) is the second king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called ''Nagamani'' (serpent's ornament) on his head. Adishesha, the first king of the serpents and the mount of Narayana, is his elder brother, and ...
, king of serpents.


Main Temple

Opposite the entrance of the courtyard stands the main temple. The temple is four storeys high, with three slanting, gilt roofs. The facade is largely covered with either gilt sculptures or an engraved brick pattern. The lower facade of the temple shows scenes from the life of the Buddha, for instance, starting from his birth. A little higher up there is a series of small reliefs of the Five Buddhas, with the outer two doubled. Above these seven reliefs there is another row of the Five Buddhas, this time flanked by reliefs of Tara on both ends. Above the first roof there are reliefs of the
Three Jewels In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice, which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Since the period of Early Buddhism until present time, all Theravada ...
, which are the
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
, the
Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
and the
Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
. The lowest two roofs are supported by roof struts depicting multi-armed Buddha figures. The top of the second roof is adorned with nine gilt chaityas. The top roof supports thirteen such chaityas, where the centre chaitya carries three umbrellas. Four banners are hanging down from the top roof. At the end of the ribs of the roofs there are Bhodhisattva faces. On the right side of the temple there is a small tower with a roof similar to the roof of the temple itself.


Main Shrine

The main Shakyamuni Buddha shrine is guarded by two metal images of Lokeshvara, seated on lions, who in turn are each standing on an elephant. To the left of this stands a large temple bell. Around the sculptures the verandah is closed off by railings. Only the priest and his family are allowed in this area. Above the door to the inner sanctum is a silver torana with reliefs of the Five Buddhas and
Vajrasattva Vajrasattva ( sa, वज्रसत्त्व, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ། ''Dorje Sempa'', short form is རྡོར་སེམས། ''Dorsem'', Монгол: Доржсэмбэ) is a bodhisattva in the Maha ...
. It is a copy of the original gilt copper torana above the main entrance. There is a smaller, almost identical torana above the silver one. Below the torana are images of
Amitābha Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, discernment, pure perception, purification of aggregates, and deep awaren ...
,
Ratnasambhava Ratnasambhava ( sa, रत्नसम्भव, lit. "Jewel-Born") is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas (or "Five Meditation Buddhas") of Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Ratnasambhava's mandalas and mantras focus on developing equanimity ...
and Amoghasiddhi. The Shakyamuni Buddha, locally also known as ''Kwabaju'', is a large silver image, covered entirely with drapes and ornaments, except for the face. In the shrine are several other figures. Most notable is the small figure of
Balarama Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...
, the elder brother of Krishna, although some claim it is actually
Vajradhara Vajradhara (Sanskrit: वज्रधर. (Also, the name of Indra, because 'Vajra' means diamond, as well as the thunderbolt, anything hard more generally) Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང། rdo rje 'chang (Dorje Chang); zh, t=金剛 ...
, the primordial Buddha.Buddhist Monasteries of Nepal: Survey of Bahas and Bahis of Kathmandu Valley by John K. Locke, Sahayogi Press Pvt. Ltd., Tripureswar, Kathmandu, Nepal, 1985, p 31-40


Priests

The principle priest or ''Bapacha'' of Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is a boy, always fewer than twelve years old. The boy is assisted by an older boy or young man. Both have been assigned their tasks for one month. One of the tasks of the Bapacha is doing the rounds in the area around the temple twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. While walking he rings a bell and for the rest he is completely silent. At the end of each year the twelve assistant priests of the year organise a feast in Nagbahal and every five years they are responsible for the organisation of
Samyak Samyak ( ne, सम्यक) is an almsgiving Buddhist festival celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. During the ceremony which is held on a large open ground, hundreds of Dīpankara Buddha images are assembled, and gifts of different ty ...
, a festival dedicated to
Dipankara Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kappas ago. According to some Buddhist or folk tr ...
Buddha


Pragya Paramita

Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is the home of the approximately 800 years old sacred Buddhist text '' Pragya Paramita'', which is restored there every three years. The last time this was done was in September 2020.Perfection of Wisdom: Sacred texts of 'Pragya Paramita' inscribed in gold
by Naresh Shreshta, The Himalayan Times, 25 September 2020, retrieved 13 July 2022
De text is still recited regularly. Such a reading can be requested by a devotee, for instance, on special occasions like a wedding or when someone in the family is ill.Inspection & Inventory Report On: Dyalko Bhagawan Temple, Golden Temple (Kwa: Bahal), Nag Baha: Hiti
by Pukar Bhandari, 4/16/2073, retrieved 26 July 2019
Nepal: a Guide to the Art and Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley by Michael Hutt, Kiscadale Ltd., Gartmore, 1994, , p 151-159 In Patan, the tradition of reciting the Pragya Paramita is believed to have started about 400 years ago.The legends of Pragya Paramita; Kathmandu Valley’s heritage is not just its monuments but its culture and rich rituals
by Shuvechchhya Pradhan, Nepali Times, September 2016, retrieved 14 July 2022
Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is one of four places in Nepal where a Pragya Paramita can be found and the only one in Patan. The others are in Kathmandu: Bhagwan Bahal, Itum Baha and Piganani.


Interiors

Inside the buildings on the ground floor of the complex three more chapels can be found, dedicated to Tara,
Vajrasattva Vajrasattva ( sa, वज्रसत्त्व, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ། ''Dorje Sempa'', short form is རྡོར་སེམས། ''Dorsem'', Монгол: Доржсэмбэ) is a bodhisattva in the Maha ...
and Namasangiti respectively. There are more chapels on the first floor. One of the rooms on the first floor is a prayer hall with an image of an eight-armed Amoghapasa.Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal)
by Lonely Planet, retrieved 12 July 2022


See also

* Bahal, Nepal * Jana bahal * Kindo Baha * Nagbahal * Te Bahal


External links


Annotated image gallery
by Dr. Günther Eichhorn

by photographer Jerome Ryan
Annotated images of Kwa Bahal
by Friedhelm Nunneman
प्रज्ञापारमिता /Pragya Paramita/ Prajñāpāramitā
images and explanation of contents
The Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar - Kwa Bahal) , Nepal
clip with views of the rooms on the first floor


References

{{Buddhist temples in Nepal History of Nepal Buddhist temples in Nepal 12th-century Buddhist temples 12th-century establishments in Nepal