Bajrayogini Temple

There are a number of beauti- ful temples in Nepal which are definitely worth a visit whether you are Hindu or Buddhist or even if you belong to any other religion. The temples themselves are so old and intricate in design that they definitely merit attention. One such is the Bajrayogini Temple. This temple is actually a sort of temple complex, with the main temple having been built by King Pratap Malla in 1655.
The Bajrayogini Temple in Nepal is a tantric temple dedicated to Ba- jrayogini who is the Hindu goddess of wisdom and whose buddhist counterpart is Ugra Tara. Thus the temple is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists and is treated with the ut- most respect. Bajrayogini Temple is situated in Sankhu within Kathman- du Valley. The temple is situated roughly 20 km north-east of down- town Kathmandu. It is considered very sacred because it is believed to have the ability to bless its wor- shipers.

The area where it is located is of- ten referred to as Gunbaha which can be roughly translated from Newari as ‘recreational forest place’.

The area is very pretty and this adds to the allure of the temple. The main temple is a three-story high building which was carefully constructed with utmost attention to detail. The goddess Bajrayogini’s statue here features a red face with three eyes as well as hands which the thumb and middle finger carefully decorated.

Her statue is surrounded by orna- ments.
Legend has it and there is an ac- count in a holy book that was dis- covered long ago that the site of the temple was once a forked piece of stone which spouted fire. This was quite significant when the rest of the world was covered with snow and before long there emerged a five- coloured flame which came to be the volcanic goddess. The goddess ordered that a temple be built after her emergence and priests have been making use of the nine sur- rounding caves for centuries to serve this temple ever since. Th first priest to serve here was suppos edly given superior enlightenmen and Bajrayogini is considered to b one of the wisest and strongest god desses able to grant this gift. There i a beautiful water tap complete wit e a decorative statue in the area which - dates back to the fourth century. The t attraction here is not only the varie ous temples but also the many other - adjoining temples and caves -s some of which are considered to be h older than the temple itself.