Erotic Temple Carvings

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Erotic Temple Carvings

No comment! Except to say that these scenes are on the side of the Dattatraya temple in Tachupal Tol.

Chaumuda Plaque

Couldn't swear to it but I reckon this is Chaumuda (goddess of death - the most wrathful aspect of Durga/Parvati.) Hard to say for certain as the skeletal rib-cage is typical of Chaumuda but the styling of the face is very different. The normal complexities of Hindu iconography are further complicated in Nepal, both by the rather distinctive artistic style of the Newari craftsmen and by their tendency to introduce elements of Tibetan Buddhism (especially the tantric deities) into the syncretic mix that is Nepalese Hinduism. Whoever it is, the quaility of the bronze is superb. The figure itself appears lost-wax cast while the background is repousse. The plaque is mounted just to the side of the entrance to the Nava Durga temple.

Nawa Durga Temple

This mysterious temple in the north of Bhaktapur is a regular venue for tantric sacrifices - allegedly performed in a more than usually bloodthirsty manner.

Temple Guardian

These mythical beasts typically stand in pairs flanking the entrance to temples. This particularly beautiful example guards the entrance to the Nava Durga temple (next slide) - the patina on the tongue has been worn away by the hands of passing devotees.

Shiva Temple

At the western end of the Durbar Square is this shikara-style Shiva temple - rather plain but with a beautiful gilded repousse mask of the God on each side. The temple was erected in 1674 under King Jitamitra Malla.

Durga Temple

Another small shikara-style temple dedicated to the ever-popular goddess Durga.

Bhairabnath Temple

Just to the east of the great Nyatapola is this temple dedicated to Bhairab. Although the three storey pagoda design looks perfectly well balanced, it was actually built in three installments. It was built with a single storey in the early 17th century, rebuilt by Bhupatindra Malla in 1717 with a second floor and then rebuilt again in its present form after suffering extensive damage in the 1934 earthquake.

Nyatapaul Cafe

This typical Pagoda temple was renovated in 1977 and converted to a restaurant. Although the food is overpriced and pretty unappetising, it's worth a visit just to sit on the upper balcony and watch the world go by. It also gives an excellent view of the nearby Nyatapola temple - when the latter isn't covered in scaffolding of course...

Taumadi Tole

Taumadhi Tole is the second largest square in Bhaktapur and the street scenes here are far more interesting than in the more touristy Durbar Square. The pagoda building to the left is the Nyatapola Cafe (see next slide). Across the square is the Bhairabnath temple. Bhaktapur is especially magical early in the morning, before the tourist coaches arrive for the day from their posh hotels in Kathmandu. Unless you really want to be surrounded by other Westerners (in which case why bother travelling?) I'd avoid the backpacker hotels of Kathmandu completely and stay in Bhaktapur. The Golden Gate Guest House (in a small courtyard midway between Durbar Square and Taumadi Tole) is my personal favourite - cheap, friendly and perfectly located.

Bhupatindra Malla Column

King Bhupatindra Malla ruled Bhaktapur from 1696 to 1722 and played a major role in enhancing the city's architectural and artistic wealth - the Nepalese equivalent of the Medici familly.

Vatsala Durga

This temple, at the eastern end of Durbar Square, was built by King Jagat Prakash Malla in 1672. The bell on the right of the picture was set up by Bupatindra Malla in 1721 and is known locally as the 'Barking Bell' - supposedly since ringing it upsets the local stray dogs.

Vatsala Durga

This temple, at the eastern end of Durbar Square, was built by King Jagat Prakash Malla in 1672. The bell on the right of the picture was set up by Bupatindra Malla in 1721 and is known locally as the 'Barking Bell' - supposedly since ringing it upsets the local stray dogs.

Nyatapaul

It's becoming something of a standing joke that wherever I travel, the most important piece of local architecture is invariably clad in scaffolding when I arrive. On this occasion I didn't mind too much since Nepalese scaffolding is an impressive sight in its own right. Rather than using steel, scaffolding is always made of bamboo poles lashed together with hemp. As well as being much cheaper than metal, the natural resilience of bamboo means that it can easily withstand earthquakes which would flatten a stiffer structure. Anyway, just for the record, the Nyatapola is the biggest temple in the valley (30m high) and is in my humble opinion the absolute high-point of Nepalese architecture. Built in 1702 by the great King Bhupatindra Malla, it was so well designed and built that it emerged almost unscathed from the 1934 earthquake that trashed so many of the valley's buildings. The temple is dedicated to Siddhi Lakshmi, an obscure tantric goddess (doubly obscure in this case since only the priests are allowed to see her image inside the temple.)