Adinath Lokeshwar Temple

Adinath Lokeshwar Temple sits atop the hill above Chobar Gorge, one of the most mythologically significant landscapes in the Kathmandu Valley. According to legend, the bodhisattva Manjushri swung his sword to cut a gap in the valley's rim at this very point, draining the ancient lake and making the valley habitable. The gorge below the temple, through which the Bagmati River still flows, is said to be that sword-cut.

The temple itself is dedicated to Adinath Lokeshwar, a form of Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), and is sacred to both Buddhist and Hindu Newar communities. What makes it visually unique among Nepal's temples is the hundreds of pots, pans, and kitchen utensils nailed to its exterior walls. Devotees offer cookware to the deity in hopes of ensuring prosperity and abundance in their kitchens — a charmingly domestic form of religious devotion that visitors find both surprising and endearing.

The hilltop compound includes the main pagoda shrine, several smaller chaityas and shrines, and a flat terrace with views over the gorge, the Bagmati River, and the cement factory that rather incongruously occupies the opposite bank. Despite the industrial neighbour, the temple itself retains a quiet atmosphere, shaded by old trees and visited mainly by local Newar families.

Chobar is a short ride from central Patan and makes a natural pairing with a visit to the Chobar caves (a natural limestone cavern) and the historic iron suspension bridge below the gorge, built in 1903 with sections imported from Scotland.