Nyatapola Temple or Pagoda in Bhaktapur Nepal

The five-storey, 30m-high Nyatapola Temple (or Pagoda) is not only the tallest temple in Nepal, but it is also considered as one of the best examples of traditional Newari temple architecture. Built in 1702, during the reign of King Bhupatindra Malla, its construction and design were so solid that the 1934 earthquake only caused minor damage. It is the temple of Siddhi Lakshmi or Siddhi Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity. She is the wrathful manifestation of the Goddess Durga.

Nyatapola means “five-story temple” in the Newari language. Located in Bhaktapur (Bhaktapur means “City of devotees”), the city that gives us a glimpse of what life was like many hundreds of years ago having changed very little since it was first formed, the Nyatapola temple or pagoda can be reached by walking up a flight of few steps that leads to the top of the platform.

It is said that only the priests are allowed to see the image of the goddess in the temple. The temple’s 108 carved and painted roof struts also depict her in her various forms. Its windows, tympanums and doors are also decorated with carvings of divine figures.

Legend tells of the days (1702 AD) when the god Bhairab was angry and caused havoc in society. Bhairab’s temple stood in Taumadhi Square. Because of this, the king decided to build a more powerful temple in front of the Bhairab’s temple in order to counteract his destructive behavior. Not only that, King Bhupatendra Malla also ordered several powerful guardians be placed and displayed in pairs on each level of the base leading up to the temple.

You can see a pair of legendary Rajput wrestlers (famous wrestlers named Jayamel and Phattu) on the first level. There are also a pair of elephants on the second level. Next, two lions followed by two griffins and finally “Singhini” and “Baghini”, the lion and tiger goddesses. It is said that each figure is 10 times stronger than the figure on the level below. After subduing Bhairab, the city became peaceful.