Temple

BUDHANILKANTHA
The image of sleeping vishnu at bhudanilkantha is probably the largest reclining image of vishnu in the world. to get there, you can take a bus in the morning from jamal or alternatively you can travel by bus or tempo to bansbary, the site of a shoe or leather factory set up with chinese assistance . from there it is about an hour`s walk . the energetic could walk all the way from downtown kathmandu in a couple of hours or best of ride by bicycle. vishnu, sleeping on the bed of snake, is supposed to have been carved from stone in the 11th century. according to legend vishnu sleeps contnuously for four months of each year . falling asleep with the beginning of the monsoon and awakening when it is over . Each july (when he falls asleep ) and November thousands of pilgrims come here for big fair on the day he is supposed to wake up. The name budhanilkantha has nothing to do with Buddha.Another legend tells of the discovery of the image. A farmer was tilling his field one day and was terrified to find blood coming from the ground at the spot where his plough struck something. An excavation revealed the beautiful image of sleeping vishnu.prayers take place here every morning around 9am. But the king of Nepal are not supposed to go near the image. should the king, who is himself supposed to be an incarnation of vishnu, gaze upon his own image, it is said that he would be cursed . Asmaller replica of the image has, therefore, been constructed near the swimming pool at Balaju for the king to visit if he so desires.