|
Budhanilkantha Temple
Located
at Budhanilkantha Temple is a Deity
of Lord Vishnu lying on Ananta Sesa, in the cosmic ocean. The Deity is
over 1,000 years old. Lord Vishnu is about 5m (17 ft) long and is lying
in a 13m (43 ft) long tank, as if floating, with His legs crossed. His
four hands hold the four symbols of Vishnu: the chakra (disc), club,
and conch-shell and lotus flower. Budhanilkantha literally means “old
blue-throat.” Ananta has 11-hooded heads. It is believed that the deity
was carved in the 7th or 8th century during the Licchavi period. Hindus
can walk down the steps and touch His feet, but foreigners cannot. The
main festival of the year is when Lord Vishnu, who sleeps on the cosmic
ocean during Caturmasya period wakes up on the Haribondhini Ekadashi
day in late October or early November. Many thousands of people come on
this day.Three other images of Lord Vishnu were carved at the same time. One is here at Budhanilkantha and is considered the most important and original, one is at Balaju Gardens, and one is at the old Royal Palace in Kathmandu, but can not be viewed by tourist. The king of Nepal is not allowed to see the deity at Budhanilkantha, but he can see the other two deities. It is believed if the king sees this deity of Vishnu he will die immediately. The deity of Budhanilkantha was lost for a while and was later rediscovered by a farmer. It is believed that the farmers struck the buried deity with his plough and that blood came out from the ground. The morning puja between 9 and 10 am is interesting. |
