Though it was raining the whole morning, lots of people came to Lord Krishna Temple at Basantapur, Kathmandu. Thousands of people kept on coming to the temple whole day till the evening 9:00 pm.

Krishna Janmasthami Celebration In Kathmandu

Krishna Janmashtami (Lord Krishna's Birth day) (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी kṛṣṇa janmāṣṭami), also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham,Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanti or sometimes merely as Janmashtami, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth ofKrishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu. Lord Krishna is the eight son of Devaki and Vasudeva.

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the Ashtami tithi, the eighth day of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadra in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra is ascendant. 

Shiddhi Cave, Bandipur

Siddhi Cave, Bandipur

Bandipur amazes visitors with its geology as much as with its scenic and cultural attractions, and it would be unthinkable not to visit its caves. The must-see destination here is Sidhha Cave, discovered only in 1987. It is said to be the largest cave not only in the kingdom but also on the South Asian subcontinent. Sightseers can check for themselves by exploring its inner recesses which are filled with natural artworks created by the stalactites and stalagmites here.

Siddha Cave is situated just above the cliff of Bimalnagar, from where it is a thirty-minute climb. The cave can be reached from Bandipur after ninety minutes of easy walking.

Mandala Making

  Mandala 12 ft.X12 ft.( Made in Basantapur, Kathmandu in the occasion of Deepawali 2068)

  

Small Mandalas for "Mha Puja" 

Mha Puja (the worship of the self), is unique festival to the Newar people of Nepal. The newars believe that one needs to understand and respect oneself before he/she can understand others. Mha puja is purification, strengthening and understanding to oneself. Mha puja carries all the grandeur that a typical Newa festival or ritual possesses. It is also distinct from other Hindu or Buddhist worships in that it is the worship of oneself and not the usual worship of Gods and Goddesses or others. Mha puja exposes the relationship of a person with the surrounding nature and the cosmos.

Mandala

Maṇḍala (मण्डल) is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle." In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the shape of a T. Mandalas often exhibit radial balance.

These mandalas, concentric diagrams, have spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism.The term is ofHindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda as the name of the sections of the work, but is also used in other Indian religions, particularly Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed into sandpainting. They are also a key part of anuttarayoga tantra meditation practices.

In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. According to the psychologist David Fontana, its symbolic nature can help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises." The psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the mandala as "a representation of the unconscious self," and believed his paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality.

In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmosmetaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective.
Source of Description: wikipedia
Photography: Yadhu K Balami

Sculptures at Changu Narayan Temple, Bhaktapur

Chanda Narayan

(Vishnu sitting atop Garuda)

 Baikuntha Vishnu

 Bishworup of Lord Vishnu

 Baman Avatar of Lord Bishnu

 Bell at Changu Narayan

Changu Narayan Temple

Bhaktapur (Khwopa:), Nepal

'About Changu Narayan:'  The ancient temple of Changu Narayana is located on a high hilltop that is also known as Changu or Dolagiri. The temple is surrounded by forest with champak tree and a small village, known as Changu Village. The temple is located in Changu VDC of Bhaktapur District, Nepal. This hill is about 8 miles east of Kathmandu and a few miles north of Bhaktapur. The Manahara River flows beside the hill. This shrine is dedicated to Lord Visnu and held in especial reverence by the Hindu people. This temple is considered as the oldest temple in Nepal. It exhibits the development of Newari religious architecture.

History of Changu Narayan The temple is full of magnificent art works in metal and wood. In fact, it is one of the finest examples of Nepalese architecture. The first epigraphic evidence of Nepalese history found in the temple premises during the reign of the Licchavi King Mandeva dating back to 464 A.D. shows that Changu had already been established as a sacred site in the 3rd century A.D. The present structure was probably constructed in the 17th century, through older elements have been incorporated during the restorations. The pagoda style temple has several masterpieces of 5th and 12th century Nepalese art. According to legends Changu Narayan temple existed as early as 325 A.D. in the time of Licchavi King Hari Datta Verma and it is one of Nepal's richest structures historically as well as artistically. In the grounds there is a stone pillar inscription of great importance recording the military exploits of King Man Deva who reigned from 496 A.D. to 524 A.D. The first epigraphic evidence of Nepalese history found in the temple premises during the reign of the Licchavi King Mandeva dating back to 464 A.D. shows that Changu had already been established as a sacred site in the 3rd century A.D. It is the earliest inscription known in Nepal. The temple was restored during the lifetime of Ganga Rani, consort of Siva Simha Malla who reigned from 1585 to 1614. There are records of the temple burning in the year of 822 Nepal Samvat (1702 A.D.), after which reconstruction was carried out. More inscriptions in gilt-copper plates were added by Bhaskara Malla in 1708 A.D.

Description Source(For Detail Description) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changu_Narayan

Photographer: Yadhu K Balami

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Sunset at Siddha Pokhari, Bhaktapur

Panauti

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Wishers at Panauti Mela

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Wishers at Panauti Mela

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