Te Bahal (also called ''Raja Kirti Mahavihar'') is the largest bahal in

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

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

. It is home to the deity Sankata, worshiped by both

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and Buddhists.Buddhist Monasteries of Nepal: Survey of Bahas and Bahis of Kathmandu Valley by John K. Locke, Sahayogi Press Pvt. Ltd., Tripureswar, Kathmandu, Nepal, 1985 Unlike other bahals, Te Bahal has two baha shrines, suggesting there may have been two bahals, Te Bahal and Bandhudatta Bahal, that were later merged into one.

Temples

The main temple of Te Bahal is on the west side of the courtyard and enclosed by private houses. Above the door is a torana dating from 1700 AD and statues of Śāriputra and

Maudgalyayana Maudgalyāyana ( pi, Moggallāna), also known as Mahāmaudgalyāyana or by his birth name Kolita, was one of the Buddha's closest disciples. Described as a contemporary of disciples such as Subhuti, Śāriputra ('), and Mahākāśyapa ( pi, M ...

are standing each on one of the sides of the door. Two chaityas stand in front of the building.Kathmandu Valley - The Preservation of Physical Environment and Cultural Heritage - A Protective Inventory by Carl Pruscha, Vol. 2, Wien 1975 In the centre of the courtyard, opposite the main temple is a second baha shrine, called Bandhudatta Mahavihar. There may have been a second bahal there, but only one building is now left. It is a one storey brick building, three feet above ground level, with a tile roof. There is no torana or any other type of ornaments. On the south side of the courtyard is the

Sankata Temple Sankata Temple ( ne, संकटा), is one of the temples located at Te Bahal, Kathmandu, Nepal. Sankata is a popular divinity who is worshipped, especially on Saturdays, to ward off bad luck and sickness.Kathmandu Valley - The Preservation of ...

. This is the most important temple in the courtyard. It has two storeys and a metal roof. The roof carries a row of five small

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 ...

s. The shrine on the ground floor is of Padmapani Lokeshvara and the Sankata shrine is on the first floor. Sankata is worshipped by devotees who are seeking protection against bad luck or illness, Buddhists as well as people of other religions. The eastern side of the courtyard is dominated by the Bhadrakali Dyochhen. This two storey structure looks very much like an ordinary house, except for some of the ornate woodwork. It houses shrines of

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 d ...

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 ''Bhairava ...

and the

Matrikas Matrikas (Sanskrit: मातृका (singular), IAST: mātṝkās, lit. "divine mothers") also called Matar or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses who are always depicted together in Hinduism. The Matrikas are often depicted in a group o ...

. To the south of the Bhadrakali Dyochhen stands a large stupa, surrounded by four small chaityas on each of the four corners of its base. Apart from those already mentioned, there are several more chaityas scattered around the courtyard: one is in front of the Sankata Temple, for instance and three are in the northwest corner of the couryard. East of the Sankata Temple is an image of

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...

. North of the Bandhudatta Mahavihar are a water tap and three

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

sculptures. To the north of these is a shrine of

Nataraja Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the ''T ...

, the dancing Shiva.

References

{{Reflist Bahals in Kathmandu

Temples

See also

References