Char Narayan / Pyamha Narandya — Attraction in Lalitpur Metropolitan City

Four faces Narayan. Char Narayan, also called the Jagat Narayan, is perhaps the oldest temple in Patan's Darbar Square. Unlike other temples in the square, it is constructed primarily of brick. It was built in 1566 to memorialize the father of Purandar Singh, a nobleman who controlled the Kathmandu area in the late 16th century. It honors Narayan, another name for Vishnu.

In plan, the temple is laid out as a near-perfect square measuring 6.62 x 6.63 meters with a height of 10.6 meters (in addition to the height of the 2.49 meter plinth). Its outer walls are faced with three doors on each side, leading to an ambulatory that surrounds a central cella. A single door on each face of the cella provides access to the centrally-placed image. Wolfgang Korn suggests the central image is a linga, whereas Michael Hutt indicates that it houses an image of Vishna's four manefestations. Specifically, on the east, Sankarshana holds a pestle and plow; on the south, Vasudeva wields a club and wheel; to the west, Pradyumna holds a bow and arrow; and to the north, Aniruddha wields a sword and shield.

The temple was completely leveled as a result of the April 2015 earthquake. However, due to quick thinking by the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (or KVPT, which has an office in the same area), security was brought in to oversee the removal and safeguarding of the site's architectural fragments. It underwent restoration by the KVPT, the World Monuments Fund, and additional support from the United States Embassy, through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). The temple was completely restored as of...

Charnarayan temple is in the southside of Krishna Mandir. Its front court is the main place to organise the famous Kartik Nach (Dance during the month of Kartik). As there are four (Char in nepalese) Narayans in this temple, it is called Char Narayan temple. It is also called the Jagat Narayan and was built in 1566 and it is perhaps the oldest temple in Patan's Durbar Square. Historians say that the process of establishing a temple in the Patan Palace area started with this temple. Unlike other temples in the square, it is constructed primarily of red brick. It was built to memorialize the father of Purandar Singh, a nobleman who controlled the Kathmandu area in the late 16th century. It has an artistic metal statue of Garuda in a stone pillar right in front of the temple. The temple is laid out as a near perfect square measuring 6.62 x 6.63 meters with a height of 10.6 meters (in addition to the height of the 2.49 meter plinth). Its outer walls are faced with three doors on each side, leading to an ambulatory that surrounds a central cella. A single door on each face of the cella provides access to the centrally-placed image of Vishnu's chatur Vyuha (four manifestations). Specifically, on the east, Sankarshana holds a pestle and plow; on the south, Vasudeva wields a club and wheel; to the west, Pradyumna holds a bow and arrow; and to the north, Aniruddha wields a...

This temple is right next to the Krishna Mandir, to its immediate south. While not as visually impressive as its neighbor, this simple looking temple is still very nice and full of history. I would definitely recommend visiting Patan Durbar Square, and while here, you should take a few minutes to check out...