How to read a Newar temple

Walking through Thimi or Bhaktapur, you pass dozens of temples, shrines and rest houses in a single hour. At first they can look alike. With a few simple ideas, you can begin to read them like a book.

Pagoda and shikhara

Most temples in the valley are pagodas: square buildings of brick and timber with two, three or even five tiered roofs, each smaller than the one below, topped by a gilded pinnacle (gajur). Nyatapola and Bhairavnath are classic examples. Some temples, like Vatsala Durga, are built instead in the shikhara style, with a tall curved tower of stone or brick influenced by north Indian temples. A few temples are domed or built in later styles.

The plinth

Temples stand on raised platforms of stepped brick or stone. The more steps, the more important the temple. The plinth separates the sacred from the everyday, protects against water and gives the temple height in crowded streets.

Roof struts (tunadal)

Look under the roofs. The diagonal wooden beams that support them are called tunadal in Nepali. They are carved with deities, often in multi-armed forms, standing on smaller figures or animals. At the bottom of the struts you may find small carved scenes. Some temples have erotic carvings here; interpretations vary, from fertility symbolism to protection against lightning, but locals rarely make a fuss about them.

The torana

Above the main door of most temples is a semicircular carved panel called a torana, made of wood or metal. The central figure on the torana usually tells you which deity is worshipped inside. Above it you will often see Garuda or a kirtimukha, a monster face with no body that protects the entrance.

Guardians and vehicles

Stone lions, elephants and mythical beasts often guard stairways. In front of the temple, facing the entrance, you may find a statue of the deity's vehicle: Garuda for Vishnu, the bull Nandi for Shiva, the rat for Ganesh, the lion for Durga. If you see one, you know whose temple you are in front of.

Windows

Newar houses and palaces are famous for their carved windows. Look for the multi-panelled window (sanjhya), the lattice window (tikijhya) that allows people to see out without being seen, and rare masterpieces like Bhaktapur's Peacock Window. Many are centuries old.

Bahal, bahi and courtyards

Buddhist monasteries in Newar towns, called bahal and bahi, are built around courtyards with a shrine facing the entrance. Hindu and Buddhist sacred spaces often sit side by side, and many families worship at both.

Pati, hiti and pokhari

Around every temple you will find other structures that served the community: pati (open rest houses), hiti (sunken stone waterspouts often carved with makara water monsters), wells and ponds (pokhari). These were built by kings and wealthy families as acts of religious merit.

Etiquette

You can walk around most temples freely. Walk clockwise, do not climb on shrines or statues, remove shoes where locals do, and do not touch offerings. Leather items may be unwelcome in some inner sanctums. Many inner shrines are open only to Hindus.