Temple · Hindu
Dattatraya Temple
दत्तात्रय मन्दिर
Dattatraya (combined form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva)·15th century CE (Malla period)·Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur's landmark three-storey pagoda in Dattatraya Square, dedicated to the combined trinity form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and central to the old Tachapal quarter.
Dedicated to
Dattatraya (combined form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva)
Period
15th century CE (Malla period)
Hours
Accessible during Bhaktapur heritage zone hours; worship is busiest in the morning
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Dattatraya Square, Tachapal Tole
Dattatraya Temple is the defining shrine of Bhaktapur's Dattatraya Square, the oldest major square in the city and the historic centre of the Tachapal quarter. The pagoda is dedicated to Dattatraya, the composite form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and is revered as Nepal's only major temple specifically devoted to this deity.
The temple is generally dated to the 15th century and is closely associated with the Malla-era flowering of Bhaktapur's Newar art and urban life. Local tradition holds that it was built from the timber of a single tree, a story that remains central to its identity. The surrounding square also contains Bhimsen Temple, Pujari Math, the Woodcarving Museum, and the famous Peacock Window, but the temple remains the square's ritual and visual anchor.
For visitors, Dattatraya Temple offers a quieter sacred atmosphere than the busier Bhaktapur Durbar Square core. It is best experienced in the morning, when local worship, incense, and the slower rhythm of the eastern old town make the site feel less like a monument and more like a living neighborhood shrine.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Tom Bahal (Aadipadma Mahavihar)
The oldest bahal in Bhaktapur and starting point of the Samyak Mahadan and Panchara rituals — a living center of Newar Buddhist ceremonial life in the city.
Indra Varna Mahavihar (Inabaha)
One of the five major mahavihars of Bhaktapur, located at Inacho Chowk and housing a Dipankar Buddha — an important node in the city's Buddhist ceremonial network.
Dipankar Mahavihar
A hidden gem deep in Bhaktapur's alleys, housing the city's principal Dipankara Buddha alongside Hindu deities in a beautifully syncretic setting.
Navadurga Temple (Nava Durga Dyo Chhen)
The sacred temple-house where Bhaktapur's legendary Nava Durga dance masks are created, consecrated, and displayed — the spiritual epicentre of the city's unique tantric masked dance tradition.
Chatur Varna Mahavihar
Bhaktapur's most visited mahavihar near Durbar Square, built in 1492 with a fascinating mix of Buddhist and Hindu guardian figures.
Coda
Continue the Pilgrimage
Part of
Dattatraya Square
Planning this visit? Local operators publishing trips here can arrange it.
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