Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Mahadev Mandir, also known as the Nepali Mandir ( hi, नेपाली मंदिर), Kanthwala Mandir and Mini Khajuraho (Kanthwala in Hindi means ''wooden''), is one of the oldest and most famous temples in the holy city of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

. This temple has great religious importance in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and is dedicated to the

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. Constructed in the 19th century

A.D The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead ...

by the

King of Nepal The King of Nepal (traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja i.e. Great King of Kings; it can also be translated as "Sovereign Emperor" ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजधिराज)) was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 ...

, the temple is made of

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

, stone and wood and is replica of the

Pashupatinath Temple Pashupatinath Temple ( ne, श्री पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. This temple was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. This "extensive ...

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

History

The

Rana Bahadur Shah Rana Bahadur Shah, King of Nepal ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज रण बहादुर शाह देव) (1775–1806) was the King of Nepal from 1777 to 1799. In 1777, he succeeded to the throne after the deat ...

took exile in

from 1800 to 1804 and titled himself as "Swami Nirgunanda". During his exile, he decided to build a replica of

. Construction of the temple commenced during his exile / stay in

. During the construction, Shah moved back to

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. On 25 April 1806, Rana Bahadur Shah was stabbed to death by his stepbrother,

Sher Bahadur Shah Sher Bahadur Shah ( ne, शेरबहादुर शाह; January 1778 – 25 April 1806) was a Nepalese noble who served as Chautaria from 1794 until his assassination in 1806. He was the son of King Pratapsingh Shah and the 3rd dynasty r ...

. His son

Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah Deva Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज गीर्वाणयुद्ध विक्रम शाह देव) (19 October 1797 – 20 November 1816), also called Girvanyuddha Bikrama Shah, was f ...

completed the project 20 years after the deadline. The land was later transferred to

Kashi Naresh Maharaja Vibhuti Narayan Singh (5 November 1927 – 25 December 2000) was the king of Benares, a city considered holy, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He was the last Bhumihar king of the Kingdom of Kashi. Childhood Vibhuti Naraya ...

in the year 1843. The temple, adjacent area,

Lalita Ghat Lalita Ghat (Hindi: ललिता घाट) is one of the main ghats on the Ganges River in Varanasi. The ghat is named after Hindu Goddess Tripura Sundari, Lalita and was built in early 19th century by King of Nepal, Rana Bahadur Shah. The g ...

and a

dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

, belongs to the Nepal government.

Construction

The mandir is made of

, stone and wood and took three decades to complete. The wood is

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

proof. It is constructed in Nepali style of architecture and is surrounded by

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs ...

and

ficus religiosa ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of Ficus, fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipa ...

(peepal) trees. The temple has

Pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

style architecture, mainly carved out of wood. It has

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

s similar to ones displayed in

Khajuraho Group of Monuments The Khajuraho Group of Monuments are a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples are famous for their nagara-styl ...

and hence it is also called "Mini Khajuraho".

Location

Nepali Mandir is located on

. It is 3.8 kilometers South-East of

Varanasi Junction railway station Varanasi Junction railway station (station code: BSB), also known as Varanasi Cantt railway station, is the main railway station serving the city of Varanasi. The other key railway stations in Varanasi Metro area are (formerly Manduadih), , P ...

and 100 meters South-West of

Manikarnika Ghat Manikarnika Ghat (Hindi: मणिकर्णिका घाट) is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), alongside the river Ganges, in the city of Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In Hind ...

References

{{Portal bar, India, Hinduism, Religion Shiva temples in Varanasi Hindu temples in Varanasi 1843 establishments in India

History

Construction

Location

See also

References